


One Step at a Time

by Elykrai



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Twilight Renaissance, adjusting to vampire life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 62
Words: 213,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24241990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elykrai/pseuds/Elykrai
Summary: Blake Swan was a fearsome marine until an ambush left her an only survivor and injured. Feeling guilty because of her special and strange ability to know when things are going bad, and she ignored it that horrible night, she returns back to Forks. Her sister is smitten with an unnaturally beautiful family, which inevitably draws her into the life of the supernatural. She soon finds out just how into the world she will be whether she wants to or not.The Volturi catch wind of her when Edwards comes to them. They know she is something special. The Volturi wants to collect all of the special things. Once they meet, they realize just how special she is to the kings.
Relationships: Aro (Twilight)/Caius (Twilight)/Marcus (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s), Aro (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s), Caius (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s), Marcus (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 455
Kudos: 1121





	1. Chapter 1

_“We shouldn’t be doing this. Something is off here,” She thought as she watched Nick’s signals. Everything had been off for her since her unit received the order. They were all bracing themselves just in case our intel was off, but she knew better. She knew something really bad was about to happen. It clung to her nearly as tight as her vest as she anxiously adjusted her grip on the gun in her hands. Now was the last time she could voice her unease about this. Now may be the last chance to perhaps change strategy even if she wasn’t the commanding officer._

She shook her head, clearing the memory from her head as she adjusted herself on the hospital bed. Even after insisting to her father that she was perfectly fine, he insisted upon bringing her to the best doctor in town just in case to make sure. 

“You’re the chief’s daughter?” She looked up as Dr. Cullen entered. It was not the first time she had seen him, but the aura of danger and his inhuman looks always managed to make it a little hard to breathe when she saw him. She ignored both and gave him a gentle smile, nodding once.

“yes, sir, I’m the other one. Thank you for tending to Bella when she had that accident. She doesn’t like doctors, yet you’ve managed to make her tolerate you. That is no small feat.” He gave a polite smile and raised a brow.

“I will keep that in mind. Now, how about let’s talk about you, seeing as you’re currently the one in my hospital and not your sister?”

“It was worth a shot.” He chuckled and picked up his clipboard.

“Why are you in the E.R. tonight?”

“I fell and my dad is overreacting. I’m fine, sir.”

“And I think that you need to stop playing tough. This could be serious,” Charlie spoke. She rolled her eyes at him before looking back at the doctor whose brows were drawn together in concern.

“How far did you fall for Charlie to think this is so serious?”

“Just from standing.” He raised his perfect brow.

“Charlie, I don’t think that could be so serious, but I will take a look to make sure. Blake, may I?” When she nodded, he took her leg gently into his freezing hands causing her to shiver. She hated how all doctors seemed to have freezing hands. His cold fingers began pressing along her leg. When they pressed a particular spot near her knee, she hissed and instinctively swung her fist. She blinked in shock when Dr. Cullen calmly caught her fist before it could hit him in his perfectly sculpted nose. She was confused about three things: one, how he managed to catch that, two, how he was so calm, and three, why her knuckles were burning from the impact. Charlie hissed at her about how she should try to not to hit the doctor. Dr. Cullen merely brushed it off, and gently lowered her leg back to the table.

“Tender?”

“That’s the leg she injured overseas.” Understanding flashed through his eyes as Blake crossed her arms.

“Dad, I’m fine. All I did was trip.” She turned her attending back to the blond. “Can I go now?”

“I wan to get some images just to be sure nothing is out of the ordinary. If nothing else but to put Chief Swan’s nerves to rest.” The two of them shared a chuckle as Charlie huffed, but gave a smile anyway.

After all of the images and scans were done, he came back to ask her if she had a physical therapist.

“I had one in Seattle, but I am not allowed to drive and Charlie works so, no.”

“My wife is a licensed physical therapist. I’m sure she would love to help.”

“I don’t know. I-”

“At least think about it. This is about your ability to walk,” Charlie cut in.

“that still doesn’t change the fact that I can’t drive.”

“I’m sure my daughter would be more than willing to pick up after school. It would benefit you. I am only trying to help.” She glared at his compassionate honey eyes before she broke.

“I’ll think about it.” He smiled brilliantly.

“that’s all I ask.”

After confirming that there was nothing new wrong with her leg, she was finally allowed to leave. Blake glared out of the window of the police cruiser as soon as she was in the car. As they pulled up in their driveway, Charlie began speaking.

“Blake, I’m just trying to help. You need a therapist. Both kinds.”

“Kindly shut your mouth,” She snapped, not taking her eyes off the window.

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve been dictating my whole fucking life ever since I got back. I’m tired of it. You think you’re helping me, but I’m fucking suffocating. You’ve put me in a bubble. So, for once, just leave me alone!”

Before he could say anything else, she threw the door open and wobbled through her house to her room, slamming the door shut. Her room was, thankfully, on the first floor, only a little out of the way near the kitchen. She collapsed onto her bed, ignoring the hot tears that began trailing down her face. She didn’t want to yell at her dad, but she was frustrated at herself. It had been months and she still couldn’t walk properly. She could barely walk from her room to the kitchen without a fiery pain spreading all the way up her leg and partially up her back. She had been lucky not to lose the leg in the first place, but it still frustrated her beyond belief, but she refused to let it get the best of her. She was a marine for fuck’s sake. She swallowed her tears and sat up, pulling her leg to lay straight on the bed. When she heard the familiar rumble of Bella’s truck in the driveway she forced herself up and into the living room. Bella came in and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Is your boyfriend out there? I need to talk to him.” The man in question walked in, wearing a sheepish smile on his face as Bella blushed. No offense to her younger sister, but she always thought the Edward was out of her league.

“can you call your dad for me? I would, but I don’t want to have to deal with the endless and gossiping receptionists at the moment.” He nodded, the smile on his face turning to a smirk as he fished his phone from his pocket and dialed the number. He handed the phone to her and ushered Bella out of the room. Blake collapsed on the couch, a quiet groan leaving her.

“Edward, what’s wrong? Has something happened? Where are you?”

“Dr. Cullen, it’s Blake Swan.” There was a moment of a silence before she heard him quietly sigh.

“Hello, Miss Swan. Apologies for that greeting.”

“There’s no need to apologize, you were just worried about your son, that’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“You are most certainly correct. What can I do for you? Have you thought about my offer?”

“I have, and if it’s okay with your wife, then I will do it.”

“Why would I not be okay with it?” A silky and feminine voice made Blake jerk, not expecting it.

“Are you his wife?” She asked and immediately wanted to bury her face into a pillow. Of course, it was.

“I am, and I would be delighted to help you.” Her voice was soothing at least, it wouldn’t be too horrible.

“Are you sure, I don’t want to be a burden to you. Your husband explained to me that you don’t actually practice at the moment.”

“Blake, I promise you that it will not bother me to help. It is true that I am not actively employed as a physical therapist, but I got the degree and license to help people recover. I can help you if you want me to.”

“I don’t think I could pay you very much.”

“Don’t worry about the money, Ms. Swan. We have little need of it,” Dr. Cullen said.

“Dr. Cullen, that is mighty generous of you but-”

“No buts, Blake. We don’t want to help people for any other reason than to help.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Well, if you’re sure, then it sounds like a good deal to me.”

“If you want to start today then Edward could bring you with it him,” Dr. Cullen chimed in again.

“Sure, if that’s okay with him.” Speak of the devil, he appeared in the hallway. She held out the phone to him. He gracefully crossed the room without so much as a sound that had her envious that he could do it so easily without all the training she had. He spoke quietly for a few minutes and she made sure to block it out so not to be rude before he hung up.

“I’ll take you with me when I leave, I think she is planning on having you stay the night if you’re comfortable.”

“I’ll go pack a bag.” He nodded and then disappeared back upstairs. She chuckled and shook her head muttering a quiet “teenagers.” Before hobbling back to her room to pack a bag.

An hour later, she was thinking about the worst night of her life; the night when her squad died, leaving her the only survivor and full of guilt. She could still hear their screams, their pleas. She could still hear her best friend choking to death on his own blood. How he-

She was ripped out of her memory by an urgent knocking on her door. She wiped her face of tears before calling that the door was unlocked. Edward stuck his head through the door, slowly, eyes wide.

“are you okay?” She asked. A brief flash of anger washed over his face, gone so fast that she almost thought she imagined it.

“I’m fine.” His voice was strained, and she pulled her brows together. He cleared his throat. “are you ready to go?” She was surprised he wanted to leave so early but nodded her head regardless. He walked into her room and grabbed her bag off of her bed, earning a quiet thank you before she attempted to get up. She ignored the sharp pain the shot through her and forced herself up. She limped after Edward to his car. He slid the passenger seat back so that she could sit with her leg extended in her brace. They both said their goodbyes to Bella before leaving. A sudden wave of nervousness washed over her as they started down the road in silence. She had never been to the Cullen’s house, never even met any but two of them. She got a strange urge that was telling her that she needed to get the hell out of the car and away from the… _boy_ next to her. Her instincts had always been keen and it’s what got her through the military and the reason she survived the awful incident. When she ignored these feelings, bad things always happened.

“Hey, Edward, can you pull over for a second?” Expecting questions, she was surprised when he immediately turned on his signal and pulled over to the side of the road, putting the car in park. When he turned to her, her heart nearly stopped as her breath caught in her throat as red eyes stared back her.


	2. Chapter 2

When she blinked, they were back to their normal dark color. That frightening moment, though, she could have sworn they were blood red. She figured it nothing more than her PTSD yelling at her.

“You have nothing to be afraid of. My mother is going to love you and treat you well. The rest of us are going to stay out of your way. Okay? Nothing bad is going to happen.” He smiled. She nodded but couldn’t shake the bad feeling that was clinging to her. She reminded herself that he was just a teenage boy and there was no danger with him. If it turned out he was a problem, she could easily handle a gangly teenager. As he turned back to the road, she could have sworn he smirked.

When they finally got to the mansion she couldn’t help but stare up at the magnificent building. She would have never guessed something so magnificent would be in her quiet hometown.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“My mother will be glad to hear that, she designed it.”

“She’s very talented.” She opened the door to the car and looked at the stairs going up the front door. “Where do I need to be?”

“The room is on the first floor. Can you manage the steps?”

“I don’t know…”

A large man came out of the door. Her muscles tensed as everything in her told her to run as far as she possibly could.

“Emmett, what are you doing?” She recognized the name from when Bella would talk about the Cullens, this large muscled man was Edward’s brother, but her heart was still racing with adrenaline.

“Pops said that I should come to offer my services.” He winked at Edwards. He glanced at Blake all humor vanishing replaced by sincerity. “Do you need help?” She squared her shoulders back, willing herself to compose herself as she locked her jaw.

“No, I have everything needed to walk up a few steps.” Blake swung her bag onto her shoulder and limped towards the steps. She climbed them quickly, so the pain would come quickly instead of slowly. She looked at the two different ways. A young woman appeared through one. She had a brilliant, motherly smile and caramel hair. A weird feeling swept over Blake when she neared. It wasn’t a bad one, just weird.

“Hello, Blake, I am Esme. It’s nice to meet you. Shall we get started?” Blake nodded and Esme left Blake’s bag in the living room before leading her into the at-home gym thing.

Esme started by testing her flexibility, which was fine until they got to her knee and hip joint, the two that have suffered the most damage from the accident. They took their time with simple stretches. Esme was learning her limits and Blake was relearning them. She hadn’t pushed herself much in months and she had to learn about herself all again. When they got to having a band around her knees to add resistance, she finally couldn’t handle the pain anymore.

Esme nodded and helped her into the living room. Blake was ashamed that the kids were in there and they saw her so helpless, covered in sweat from the exertion, but the amount of pain she was in too much pain to care. When she collapsed onto the couch Emmett joined her. She sent him a tired smile. He returned it before he tensed, causing her to furrow her brow.

“Are you a marine?” She turned to the young gentleman standing near the couch stiff straight. In the car, and when Emmett came outside, her instincts told her to run, but now, a feeling so terrible and intense and sudden swept over her causing her to flinch and scoot away from him, trying to get away from the unknown danger. “My name is Jasper.” He smiled and Blake nearly had a stroke as he suddenly had crazed blood-red eyes, an old army uniform, and blood dripping from his face.

As quickly as that visual appeared, it vanished, not unlike what happened in the car with Edward.

“Uh… Yeah, I was a marine.” She cleared her throat, attempting to clear the lump that had formed. “Thinking about joining?”

“You could say that.” She patted the spot on the couch next to her and Jasper moved swiftly to sit near her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emmett brace himself, but when Edward came in, he relaxed. This exchange did not go unnoticed, but she chose to worry about it later.

“Well, in that case, I will not lie to you, the service is hard. It’s how people end up hurt or dead.” Having Jasper closer to her only intensified the need to run, but she tightened her fists and tried to force herself to calm down. It seemed to work, because all fear immediately left her, leaving only the unease.

“I understand, ma’am.” He smirked at her.

“Don’t join because of money either. If you’re after money the military is one of the last places you should go into. Not worth the money if that’s the only reason.”

“Why did you join?”  
“Because I wanted to help people.”

“There are easier ways to help people.” She chuckled.

“I may also have a sense of danger. I’ve got good instincts to thank for that.”

“Do you?” he quirked a brow, his smirk widening. She matched it. “What are they telling you now?”

There was no way in hell she was about to tell them that their whole family made her want to run for the hills, so she focused completely on Jasper. Feelings of trust, warmth, family were strong, but so was the overwhelming sense of danger and more. He was disciplined, much more than anyone should be at such a young age. She could sense his loyal nature, his desire to be good.

“They’re saying that you would be a great soldier.” His smirk relaxed into a very gentle and warm smile.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“I’m not trying to stop you from joining, but I’m not a recruiter, so I won’t brush over it; the military is rough. You join and there’s a good chance you will end up dead or your friends will. And friends in the service are family.”

“I know the risk, and I understand the weight of the service. How long did you serve?”

“Almost four years before,” She motioned to her leg which was still in her brace and propped up.

“I would like to formally thank you for your service.” As Jasper said this, the others in the room also gave their thanks. She blushed and smiled politely but couldn’t stop her from thinking that she didn’t deserve to be thanked. She was the reason her entire unit died. She should have spoken up, warning them of danger. If she had she could have saved them.

“Here, eat.” Esme placed a plate of alfredo in front of her.

“Oh! Thank you, ma’am, but you didn’t have to do that. I’m not even hungry.” 

“You need your energy,” Jasper said softly. She looked at his golden eyes for a moment before sighing and hesitantly began to eat.

“Y’all aren’t eating?”

“We already did,” Emmett chimed in. She felt self-conscious being the only one eating but continued to do so. That feeling was replaced by a warm comfort, that quickly made her hair stand on end, before that too fazed into calm. She furrowed her brows but filed it away for when she wasn’t in a room full of people to question it. When she finished Esme collected her plate and Blake thanked and complimented her.

“Hello dear,” Dr. Cullen greeted his wife with a kiss. He looked at Blake. “Blake,” His eyes mover over, a curious glint in his eyes. “Jasper.” He nodded.

“Hi, Carlisle.” A very chirpy and petite woman came flittering into the room. Blake wasn’t quite sure what was up with the family, but with every addition, her instincts were going crazy. With all of them in one room, including the blonde that must be Rosalie by process of elimination, she chalked it up to them all being…different. That was the only word she could use. She was also starting to think supermodel good lucks was a prerequisite to being adopted into the family, seeing as every single one of them was.

She could also just be restless from her time away from the action. It had quickly become everything she knew, what she lived for, to have it all taken away overnight.

“you must be Blake, I’m Alice.” Alice skipped over to Jasper’s other side and sat on the couch, linking their fingers together.

“I know, Bella talks a lot about you all.” Alice just gave her a smile with a knowing look hidden in those honey orbs. She furrowed her brow but before she could add anything else, Jasper started talking.

“there’s not a lot of military around here, where did you sign up?”

“I went to Seattle for a weekend, signed up, came back, and didn’t tell dad about it until right before I had to leave for basic. I didn’t want him to try to change my mind.”

“Did he?”

“He said he wished I would have chosen something less dangerous, but there was nothing he could do at that point. However, if you’re planning to join up, definitely tell your family about it beforehand.” She sent a pointed look back to where Dr. Cullen and his wife were standing. They both gave her a smile before she turned her attention back to Jasper.

“Yes ma’am.”

“How many people have you killed?” She was not expecting that to come from the burly man at that particular moment.

“Emmett!” Esme scolded.

“It’s okay, ma’am. It’s an expected question that I don’t mind answering. I have seven confirmed. Not including some other situations.”

“Badass.”

“No, the real badass was my buddy. Damn, Nick was a great marine. He had many more confirmed, a master in infantry. There was this one time where we had to get some hostages out. The whole building was covered in guards, not even including the inside. Nick wasn’t in charge but it’s because of him that we were able to get all of the hostages out safely. He was a damn good marine.” She spaced out for a moment, his strangled scream echoing in her ears.

A cold hand on her shoulder ripped her from her memories, her guilt instantly replaced with pure terror, something she had not felt except for only once. Jasper immediately yanked his hand off of her shoulder, mumbling a quiet ‘sorry’ before he was out of the room. Blake stared after him in confusion, intensifying when the terror was gone the moment that he stopped touching her.

“Are you tired, Blake?” Mrs. Cullen’s voice asked her and she nodded once.

“The bedrooms are upstairs…”

“I can carry you if you want,” Emmett offered. Blake looked passed him at the stairs and knew that she definitely would not be able to make it up. She chewed on her lip before swallowing her pride and sighing.

“That would be appreciated.” Emmett stood faster than she could and had her in his arms before she could even get close to leaving the couch. “Oof,” She deadpanned. He laughed as he easily started up the stairs. She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew she weighed a decent bit and knew strong people, she was strong, but any amount of weight and going up a set of stairs posted challenges, but he showed no signs of strain. “You don’t do steroids, right? Like, the son of a doctor knows that’s bad, doesn’t he?” He laughed, deep and loud and she jerked in his arms as the reached the platform.

“I am well aware, and no, I don’t do steroids. This is all me.”

“And an adrenaline addiction!” Alice called behind them. Blake nearly flipped out of Emmett’s arms if he hadn’t of had a good grip on her. She narrowed her eyes, she didn’t hear her come up behind them. Alice shot her a friendly smile, holding up her bag. She gave a nod.

Emmett stopped in front of a door and she twisted the handle. While she really did not know what to expect in the first place, the reality still shocked her, though, in hindsight, it really should not have: they were rich. The room was extravagant. A giant king bed was pressed against the middle of one wall, across from it a giant dresser and television mounted above it. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed, a couch close to a wall of windows on the other side. Emmett placed her on the softest bed she had ever come in contact with. Alice sat her bag on the bed next to her before bidding her goodnight and dancing out of the room. Emmett gave her a smile and told her goodnight which she reciprocated before he left, closing the door behind her. She quickly and carefully changed into something comfortable to sleep in.

When she laid down, she was left alone with her thoughts and emotions. She had a bad feeling and was beyond scared, but it was unjustified from what she could tell. She figured it was just paranoia of spending the night in a house full of people she did not know and forced herself to ignore it and get some sleep.

Her dreams were plagued with the faces of familiar strangers. For as long as Blake could remember, these dreams have been her refuge. The three impossibly beautiful beings have always been there for her. She had never met them, she was sure of it. These dreams felt different than all of her other dreams, these felt real. They plagued her dreams often, and never the same scenario.

This time, they were in a library of sorts, a fireplace with a small fire crackling in it. It was the only source of light. Sometimes the men never moved, this time, they did. The blond glared at the majestic leader.

“I hate this plan of yours, brother,” he growled, the sound reverberating throughout the room. His accent was thick with something that Blake had never been able to place, not for lack of trying though.

“That is because you wish to fight,” The one whom she had never seen smile said dismissively. 

“Of course, I want to fight, I am a warrior. I do not appreciate you two sending others to fight in my place.” The blond one rose to his feet at an impossible speed, his blood-red eyes full of rage. The shadows from the fire made him look like a statue of an angel. A very, _very_ angry angel, but beyond beautiful.

“Brother, calm yourself, it is nothing personal. This is for the good of your people. You are not just a warrior anymore; you are a king.” The hyper and creepy one said. Blake was relieved as she perched herself up on top of a desk. Most of the limited times she was able to hear them speak they did not speak English. This never made sense to her, because they were her dreams, and they spoke in languages that sounded real, but there was no one because she didn’t know any other languages. The creepy leader glided across the room to place his palms on his angry shoulders and spoke quietly and so fast she could not make any words out, but she knew it was in a different language. Quickly being bored she moved to sit in front of the one who always looked miserable. It hurt her heart to see him like that. In the years upon years, she has dreamed of these three men, she had never once seen him smile and it hurt her heart for a reason she could not yet fathom.

He looked up, his dull crimson eyes seemingly boring straight into hers.

Blake gasped as she woke up, clutching her chest. She took a few calming breaths, slowing her heart rate. She looked over at the clock that was on one of the nightstands. She cursed: it was four in the fucking morning. She was wide awake with no hope of going back to sleep.

She rolled over and grabbed her bag which had been far enough away on the bed which didn’t bother her while she had been asleep. She grabbed her sketchbook and pencil. She turned a lamp on as she sat up, situating herself against the fluffiest pillows she thinks she will ever see. 

This particular sketchbook was the one where she used exclusively for sketching the dreams like the one she just had. She could not quite place why, but she always felt compelled to draw them, to make sure she didn’t forget them as if they were important somehow. They are, of course, but she did not know that yet.

She opened to a new page and began drawing the library. She liked saving the men for last, she did it every time. They held a special in her heart even if they were just figments of her wild imagination. The men always looked perfect and she tried her best to do them justice. She knew she failed, she was good, but they were too perfect to accurately capture.

She stayed there quickly mapping out the details until she finished shortly after sunrise. She had chosen to draw the first thing she saw; the blond glaring at the leader by the fire. She paid careful attention to their faces like always. She knew there was no way they could be real, but they were her constant in her roller-coaster life. She cherished the image for a couple of minutes, staring at them, the way the light had caught on their sharp features, the shadows giving them a darker look than some of the other ones she had of them, but also not near a monstrous as some others. While she was preoccupied with going over their faces to see if there was something that needed fixing, a quiet knock was on the door, which quickly caused her to shut her book and called for them to come in.

Esme poked her head in, a very warm smile on her face.

“You’re awake. I made breakfast.” Blake nodded. “the kitchen is just right through here.”

“I’ll be in there in a minute.” Esme nodded and closed the door. She had been able to ignore the persistent need to run, but once she opened the door, once again everything in Blake was yelling at her to run once again. She sighed, running her hand over her face as she shoved her sketchbook back in her bag. She changed, only slightly hissing at the burning in her leg before she slowly started her trek to the kitchen. Esme was the only one in there which made her relax slightly. She ate silently as Esme washed other plates, showing that the others had already eaten.

“Do you feel up to another day of therapy?” Esme asked when she took her plate. Blake nodded once even if she didn’t believe it.

“There is no rush. How about you come over twice a week? That way there’s some time to rest in between, of course, you’ll still have to do home exercises.”

“That does sound like a good idea. Who would drive me? Edward? I don’t want to bother him.”

“You won’t. He doesn’t mind.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am,” she gave Blake a dazzling smile. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” She nodded. Emmett came into the kitchen and smiled at Blake.

“I am your ride today. I am not in a hurry to get rid of you, though. You play video games?”

“Occasionally.”

“Good.” Emmett picked her up before she could say anything, and she huffed as he started carrying her down the stairs. He gently deposited her on the couch. He gave her a controller and once he set up the game, he crashed next to her on the couch causing her to laugh.

“Take it easy on her,” Rosalie said as she came into the room. Some kind of fight game started and it took Blake a minute to work out everything, but once she did, she destroyed him. He stared at her in shock for a moment.

“You’re on,” they both shared a smirk before starting.

Several hours later and it was time for Blake to head home after she spent most of the time beating him. Emmett ran upstairs to grab her bag and once he returned he gave it to her and hauled her into his cold arms causing her to accidentally giggle. Emmett did nothing but chuckle quietly as she flushed. He gently placed her in the jeep before moving to his side.

“Wait!” The smooth, southern voice called out. Emmett and Blake both looked at Jasper as he approached the jeep. She felt some of the trepidation fading as he got closer. “I figured I’d ride with you both so that we can go to the store to prepare for next week’s hunting trip.” He directed the last part to his brother who was looking at him with narrowed eyes. Jasper looked back at Blake. “That is, of course, if you are okay with that, ma’am.” Blake nodded and he smiled hopping into the back of the topless jeep.

“It’s not a problem. I’ll come back for you,” Emmett said as he stared at where Jasper was sitting behind Blake. She furrowed her brows.

“I’m fine with him coming. Besides, it’ll save you a trip.” He glanced at her for a moment, head cocked to the side before he nodded.

“Okay.” It was a quiet answer compared to his usual tone, but she brushed it off. She wasn’t sure what had her so terrified, but as they got farther away from the house, it eased off some and she conversed with the two brothers. It came easy to her, for once, talking to new people. All too soon they pulled up at her house. She sighed and released her seatbelt.

“Thanks for the ride and fun day. It has uh…it’s been a while I’ve had a fun day.” They both smiled and nodded and said they would see her in a couple of days. Blake went into her house and closed the door, though not before seeing Emmett hit Jasper on the back of the head. She wasn’t sure what that was about but she hoped it wasn’t about her.

She made her way into her room and opened her sketchbook, flipping through the pages slowly, remembering each dream which accompanied each piece. They each depicted different scenarios. Some of them depicted gory scenes filled with blood the same color as their eyes. Strangely enough, she never once saw those as nightmares, not even as a child. Back then, she thought she was safe with them, that they would never hurt her, now that she was older she simply knew they weren’t real and couldn’t hurt her. She had filled countless sketchbooks of these men. She looked up when she heard Bella approaching her room, and turned the sketchbook upside down as she entered without knocking.

It was most certainly not Bella.


	3. Chapter 3

Billy Black was in the door frame, eyes wide.

“Billy, What the hell? You always knock,” Blake barked. Billy swallowed and looked to the ground, fiddling with his wheels.

“Sorry, kid. I just thought I heard something.” She narrowed her eyes immediately. “You caught that, did you?” He asked and she nodded. He sighed, looking up at her. “Stay away from the Cullens. They are bad news.”

“Bad news, how?”

“Trust me for once, will you? I can’t tell you.”

“Billy-”

“We got fish in there for you. Would you rather come in there or eat in here?” She went to say in her room, but then she sighed. She had no right to complain about her leg when he was in a wheelchair. She nodded once and stood up slowly. He went backwards and she followed him to where her dad and sister were already in the living room with plates, the game on the tv. Charlie’s face lit up upon seeing her and she pursed her lips, automatically feeling terrible at how she yelled at him yesterday. She, however, went silent and sat on the couch, watching the game and eating the fresh fish. When her dad went into the kitchen, she followed him.

“look,” They both started at the same time in hushed tones. He motioned for her to go first.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I know you’re just trying to help. I’m frustrated with myself and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.”

“I know that I have been in your way since you got back. But you have to understand that I’m worried about you. I’m trying to help. I know that you are used to doing things on your own. I will try to not be so overbearing, but you should know that it’s okay to ask for help. It doesn’t mean that you’re weak.” Blake’s eyes filled with tears, but she quickly blinked them away and nodded.

“I know. I’m sorry I’ve been so rude. But I am a marine, and we’re nothing if not stubborn. And I _don’t_ need special treatment.”

“Alright, kiddo, just take it easy. And go to those therapy appointments.”

“I will. I promise. The sooner I get back on my feet, the sooner I’ll be feeling like me again.” He nodded, sighed, and then ruffled her hair, dodging her attempts to swat him as he went back into the living room.

Blake shook her head and chuckled, before following after him to watch the rest of the game. She caught Billy’s eye when he smiled at her. She knew he worried for her as well, but she really didn’t need their concern. She was fine.

When Billy left, Bella sent her to her room to rest. Blake grumbled, but did as she was told, already exhausted from spending so much time with people in the past twenty-four hours than she was used to.

Once back in her bed, she pulled out her sketchbook again. She smiled at their familiar faces and found her younger self wishing that they were real yet again. She did not doubt that if they were real, she would be terrified of the aura they give off: one of pure danger, but they were her personal safety. She knew they’d be imposing to others, but she always found solace in them. Always. She figured it was because her mind created them from such a young age. She was always at peace in the dreams and always figured she would be if they were real.

Blake knew the truth about why she was attached to them. They were her constant in her constantly changing life. Nothing ever lasted. Not her family; that fell apart when she was five. Not school. Not walking. Not the military; her military career ended as soon as she was injured. Nothing was constant in her life. But these three inhuman men of her dreams were always there. They were constant. Forever there whenever she needs them. It used to make her upset when she was younger, that she couldn’t interact with them, but now she simply enjoys the peace and comfort of her dreams of them.

Despite her trying, she was almost positive she had no names for two of them. She knew the one who was always depressed was Marcus, but the other two, she was not sure. And while she thought about giving them names, it didn’t feel right. She remembered very clearly how excited she was when she learned Marcus’ name that she woke herself up.

She knew plenty of other names of figures that appeared in them ever so often, Jane, Felix, along with others.

She spent a few more minutes flipping through the pages before putting her sketchbook in her nightstand and turned off her lamp and going to sleep.

Her nightmares were back.

The night of the ambush.

Gunfire.

Grenades.

The overall sound and stench of war.

But, suddenly a bright flash of light and a dark and insisting feeling attached to her before she was standing in her driveway. She furrowed her brows. It no longer felt like a regular dream, rather it felt like her dreams of the three inhumans, but she knew it wasn’t that because those dreams never once took place in a place she has been.

Her sister was in the driveway with Edward.

“we’re playing baseball, and I want you to come,” he said. When her sister agreed, the bad feeling around her intensified.

Blake gasped awake clutching at her sweaty chest. She looked at the time: six in the morning. She sighed, shaking off the dream and feeling with it. Bella would never play baseball, there was nothing to worry about. She forced herself up and into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Her father was the first one in, and he blinked at her rapidly as he saw her instead of Bella.

“I made some coffee, not that pitiful excuse that you try to pass as coffee,” She told him, jutting her chin towards the counter. He snorted and shook his head but quickly did cross the room to pour himself a cup.

“You’re making breakfast?”

“That is sure what it looks like.” He gave her a dry look and she chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, it’s been a while. I wanted to give you a meal and Bella deserves a break.”

“Well…thank you. Can I ask if you should be up?”

“I need to get up and move around. I have more therapy tomorrow, so, I’d thought moving around would help. Besides, I’m going crazy not doing anything.” Just then, Bella came in, stopping short when her eyes landed on Blake who waved a spatula at her.

“Oh, you’re up. Hey.”

“Yeah, I’m almost done too. Perfect timing there.”

Soon, the three of them were having a very awkward and quiet breakfast. When Bella went to school and Charlie to work, Blake ventured back into her room and set up her easel. Her leg was protesting in the form of fiery pain shooting up her leg and back, but she ignored it. She was determined to finally paint his portrait today.

She put on some music before starting to work with her acrylics, something she hadn’t touched in years before she enlisted. She missed it and figured it would help as a base before she moved onto oil paints.

Hours later, when her dad came home, he poked his head into her room, the door being propped open. Blake tried to hide her smirk when he did a double-take upon seeing her standing at her easel.

“You okay?” She nodded, wiping some paint off of her hands and onto an old towel. “What are you working on?”

“Something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time.”

“How’s your leg?”

“It’s throwing a hell of a fit, but I am ignoring it for now. I really want to work on this piece.” He nodded and after asking her one more time if she was okay, he slowly left her room. She sighed and took a step back to look at the process she had made throughout the day. She screwed her eyes shut to stop the tears that threatened to fall. She missed him. She missed him so much that it hurt. Nick was _family_ to her. And it is her fault that he’s dead. That he won’t ever come back home.

She opened her eyes and willed away the tears. She was the reason her team was dead and she would never forgive herself for that. Her C.O. swore it was not her fault but he didn’t know the whole story. She knew better. She could have stopped it. If only she had acted on her gut feeling, which had never once been wrong, she could have stopped it. But no. The one time she had chosen to ignore it, her entire team got killed.

She threw her paintbrush down and moved to her bed, carefully lifting her leg up and grabbing her laptop. Bella should be home soon, so she figured she had nothing to do for the time being.

Several minutes passed before Bella knocked and opened her door, Edward was standing behind her.

“Hello, I am taking Bella to play baseball with my family,” he said. Immediately her dream came back to hit her full force, a pressure on her chest.

All Blake could think was ‘ _Not again. Don’t let something happen to her. Can’t ignore this again.’_

Edward’s brows furrowed as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. Blake fisted her blankets in her hands staring wide-eyed at the two teenagers in her doorway.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Her heart was pounding, eyes flicking rapidly over the two of them.

“It’ll be fun,” Bella said.

“You hate sports.”

“I hate watching sports on T.V., this is different.”

“You know how accident-prone she is, right?” She turned her eyes to Edwards and narrowed them at him.

“I will take good care of her. Nothing will happen to her.”

“It’s supposed to storm,” Blake was grasping at straws now.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on it.” Blake could no longer think of any reason to prevent them from going, so she nodded and stared after them in trepidation as they left. She was trying to reason with herself that it was just baseball and that it was fine.

But then her mind started imagining all the bad things that could go wrong, car wrecks, Bella holding a metal bat, and getting struck by lightning. So, instead of sitting in her room and worrying, she decided to go sit with her dad and worry. He had just finished cleaning his gun when she came in. She sat with him on the couch, watching the T.V., and since he seemed fine, she tried to convince her mind that everything was going to be fine.

It was most certainly not fine.

Bella came home a while later and screaming at Edward about breaking up before she stormed upstairs, their dad quickly following while Blake muted the television, trying to make out what they were saying. She only caught something about leaving. Charlie tried to convince her to wait to morning while Blake stood up with wide eyes as they both came downstairs.

“Come on, Bells, I just got you back,” he said, a torn expression on his face while she was about to open the door.

“Yeah, and if I stay here, I am just going to be stuck here just like mom was.” With that, she left, slamming the door behind her. Blake’s eyes filled with tears as she stared after her sister. Charlie turned to her with wide eyes.

She rushed forward, ignoring her leg and he caught her, both holding onto each other for dear life.

They stayed like that all night, holding each other and quietly crying. Blake harder than Charlie was willing to show. She knew something was going to go wrong. She should have stopped it.

The next day she woke up feeling terrified and couldn’t figure out why until Charlie came in there and told her Bella was in the hospital. The rushed to go see her.

Blake was beyond furious upon seeing Edward sitting next to Bella. Charlie went straight into the room and Edward came out and stood by Dr. Cullen who was also there. She stomped up to them, breathing heavy, nails digging into her palms.

“What the actual fuck?” Blake demanded as she glared up at them. “Don’t think I can’t hurt you. I’m a fucking marine and I don’t give a flying fuck if the town cares about you.”

“Blake, we came to convince Bella to change her mind about leaving. She slipped and fell down some stairs,” Dr. Cullen said, and she glared at him.

“You’re lying,” she seethed. She turned on her heels and stormed into the room, ignoring the pain in her leg. Charlie looked up at her while he was holding her hand. “I don’t like this.” He nodded looking back down. She blinked the tears away from her eyes upon seeing her baby sister unconscious in the bed.

“I don’t either. It’s not right.”

They waited by Bella’s bed. The two Cullens never too far away. Then her mother showed up. Blake was furious. Renée believed their story, why wouldn’t she. This perfect small-town boy and his perfect and respectable doctor father. It must be true, right?

Except both her and her dad knew something was very wrong with this situation. Sure, Bella was clumsy, but not _that_ clumsy.

Blake watched Edward with her. Sitting by her bed, sleeping as if there was nothing suspicious about everything at all. He was with her when she woke up with her mother, while she and her dad were getting coffee. Her anger increased tenfold when she heard that Bella wanted to stay in Forks.

When she went to say something, Renée shot her a glare, causing her to huff and leave the room before she assaulted her. None of it sat well with her. She wouldn’t stop until she knew what had happened that night.

The day after the prom, Blake took a taxi to the Cullen house. She stormed up the steps, every lick of pain nothing compared to the fierceness of her anger. She banged on the doorframe, acutely aware if she had done so on the actual door that the glass would have shattered, and she didn’t want to deal with broken glass at the moment.

Esme came and answered it, the smile falling from her face as soon as she saw the fury on Blake’s face. She opened the door cautiously.

“What do I owe this-”

“Is the rest of your family here?” Blake interrupted. Esme nodded once, forcing a small smile on her face.

“In the living room.” Blake brushed past her and went into the room where the entire family turned to look at her, a couple glancing at Alice. Her instincts screamed bloody murder, telling her to get the fuck out of the house, but she was done letting her mind get in the way and causing people to get hurt. This was her sister that ended up in the hospital. Her mind screaming danger only fueled her anger.

“What, in the ever-loving fuck, did you do to my sister?”

“Excuse me?” The blond, Rosalie, snapped.

“Did I fucking stutter? When I ask a question, I expect a damn answer!” Her fingers digging so hard into her palms, she was sure she was about to bleed.

“I did not see this coming,” Alice muttered.

“Well, you damn well should have. I’m a marine and I will protect my sister with my life!”

“Blake, I can assure you, we didn’t do what you’re worried we did,” Jasper said. Her heart softened a bit at him, but she forced that away, glaring at him.

“You better have a good explanation for it then. Because from my point of view it sure as hell looks a lot like you all have hurt my sister and I’ll be damned if I let you get away with it.” They all exchanged glances, causing her trigger finger to itch even more, but she waited. She couldn’t pull a gun out yet.

“She fell down a flight of stairs-” Edward trailed off when Blake glared at him.

“I want the fucking truth.” When no one said anything else, instead again exchanging glances, most going to Jasper and Edward, she snapped, “Now!” She could hear the familiar rumble of her sister’s truck, but she was not interrupting this.

“It is-” Blake glared at the supposedly respectable doctor.

“Imma lay this out for you so you all can see how deep in shit you are in. My sister wanted to get out of this town because of him,” She jabbed her finger towards Edward, “She wanted nothing to do with him and you two _fucking followed_ her. She ended up in the hospital and suddenly everything is magically okay between the two of them. Oh! And she definitely does not want to leave anymore. So, please, keep lying and giving me more reasons to shoot you.”

“Blake, they didn’t hurt me, they saved me!” Bella shouted as she walked in. Blake did not miss the sharp looks that were directed at Bella and she narrowed her eyes.

“ _Saved_ you? Explain. Now.” Blake kept her eyes on the family as Bella came in behind her.

“I- I can’t.” that caused her to snap her eyes to wear Bella was looking to the floor. Blake looked back at the family, fury clouding her face.

“Leave. Right now. You are not spending another second with these people.”

“No! They have never hurt me.”

“Then fucking explain it, Bella!”

“They’re vampires!” Blake spun in her spot to glare at Bella who flinched. The silence and tension in the room were unbearably thick.

“ _Excuse me_?”

All of a sudden, Blake found herself on the room ice cold arms holding her waist through her shirt. She tilted her head to see Jasper staring down at her intently.

“Jasper?”

“Calm down. I gotcha.” They were back in the living room in a blink of an eye as Jasper let her feet hit the ground and quickly stepped away from her. Everyone was looking at the two of them with wide eyes.

“I would never cover something up as vile as you accused of us. None of us would. I give you my word. I will explain what happened,” He said staring into her eyes, trying to convince her. Her heart was racing but most of her anger was replaced by the overwhelming terror that attacked her as soon as she stepped foot into the room and anger. She couldn’t think of any words in a coherent manner.

“Jasper!” Rosalie hissed, and at that moment, of a sound that was nowhere near human, paired with being whisked to the roof and back was enough for her to decide that Bella was not insane and was indeed telling the truth about vampires.

She was in a fucking house full of vampires. And they were all staring at her and her sister.


	4. Chapter 4

She wanted to bolt with her sister but Alice gasped and appeared before them in a blur, causing her to instinctually bring her fist up. Her hand was stopped by Alice grabbing her hand, fear shooting through her veins as she saw this tiny little thing stop a full-force punch.

“Don’t run. Your leg will go out and will only end up hurting yourself and Bella.” She furrowed her brow as she backed up. Bella came next to her and Blake grabbed her hand and pushed her behind her.

“Blake, calm down. They said they will explain everything to you.” Blake must have missed something because Alice said to Rosalie,

“Bella told her.”

“It won’t matter, she knows,” Rosalie barked.

“What. The. Ever-loving. _Fuck_?” Blake said, staring in front of her at nothing as almost no trace of anger was still with her.

“Come, sit down. I’ll explain,” Jasper said.

Blake was on the couch, Bella sitting next to her holding tightly onto her hand. She was staring blankly in front of her, all feelings gone besides her instinctual want to run still yelling at her. She was in shock, considering the fact that this may even be a dream.

“it’s not a dream. This is very real.” She snapped her eyes over to where Edward was standing with arms crossed, a small frown on his face.

“Some of our kind have special gifts. Edward can read minds,” Esme said gently, sending her a very small smile.

“What?”

“I can’t read Bella. I can only read you sometimes. It’s very…frustrating.” Edward then explained the rest of the gifts in the room. Which explained why Alice had freaked out about her running, and also the comment about not seeing her coming. Everyone was looking at her, from gentle, being Esme, to a fierce glare coming from Rosalie. She was in shock, she knew it, but she needed to ignore it. She turned to Bella, tightening her grip on her sister’s hand.

“You said they saved you, I want you to explain.” Bella nodded and told her everything that happened with James, Victoria, and Laurent, three nomadic vampires. Occasionally Blake would glare at Edward when he tried to say something. She wanted to hear it from Bella. When Bella was done, they were all looking at her carefully, even Rosalie, although she was not as concerned looking as the rest.

“…You all risked everything for her?” Dr. Cullen nodded.

“And we would do it again.” A moment passed with her staring at him before she turned back to Bella and notched a brow.

“Aren’t you still grounded?” Emmett laughed and Bella shrugged her shoulders.

“You just discovered the existence of vampires and you ask if your sister is grounded?” Emmett chuckled.

“Um, can we go home?” Bella asked her.

“I still have questions.”

“Bella, go home before you get in more trouble with your father. One of us will take Blake home later if she’s okay with that,” Esme said, and Blake nodded. Bella also did so and said her goodbyes before she left.

“You guys don’t…drink from my sister, do you?” Rosalie snorted and rolled her eyes receiving glares from other vampires in the room.

“No, we fancy ourselves vegetarians. We only feed from animals.”

“That’s the exact opposite of a vegetarian.” Emmett laughed receiving a glare from Rosalie. She spoke, too quiet and too fast for her to understand any of it. An action that she was familiar with from the three men of her dreams. With a jolt, she realized, that the men of dreams could be real. She forced the thought away. She took refuge in those dreams and that’s all they were. She didn’t have some special vampiric gift.

Blake waited not so patiently for the family of vampires to bring her back into the conversation. That could very well be the strangest though she has ever had.

“Come on, Rose. You worry too much,” Emmett said at a comprehensible speed. Rosalie stood and glared at Blake. “I understand you were worried about your sister and it was admirable of you to confront us, but you learning of our existence will lead to nothing good.” With that, she disappeared. While the blond vampire obviously believed what she had said, Blake couldn’t help but disagree. She had almost always listened to her instincts and wasn’t about to stop just because vampires exist. She was sure everything would be okay now.

“Don’t mind her. It would have definitely been worse if you and your father showed up dead set on shooting Eddie boy because of domestic violence,” Emmett said. Despite the shock, she laughed. He grinned at her.

“Look at it from an outside perspective, all the signs pointed that Edward was abusing her and Dr. Cullen was covering it up. The only reason I believe you now is because Edward read my mind and Jasper took me to the roof and back in less than a second each,” Blake said, and Jasper grinned her at that last part. The vampires each nodded.

“I know what it looks like, but I assure you, we would never do something to hurt Bella or you,” Esme said. Blake looked up at her.

“Me?”

“Of course. You know about us and we would never give you a reason not to trust us.” Blake nodded even though thoughts were racing through her head about the strange situation that Bella had gotten herself into.

“And that’s a promise ma’am.” Blake looked at Jasper, her eyebrows raised.

“I am now pretty sure that you are not younger than me.”

“Not by a long shot, but that’s the southern charm in him,” Emmett chuckled at the glare his brother sent him. “You know, you said you had good instincts, yet you stayed the night in a house full of very deadly creatures.”

“Actually, I would say her instincts are just fine. She was scared, didn’t feel safe at all, barely slept, but was also confused, my guess being that she couldn’t figure out why. If anything, she just needs to learn to listen to them.” Blake winced, his words reminding her of her failure with her team. “Which, by the way, you have nothing to fear from us.” Jasper smiled at her and Blake gasped as comfort surrounded her, her guilt and unease fading away. Jasper furrowed his brows. She was still scared, but she was also insanely comforted and contented.

“Wait, so when Jasper touched shoulder the other night?” Dr. Cullen asked.

“When Jasper ran out of the room?” Emmett added getting yet another glare from Jasper.

“She was terrified of me.” Dr. Cullen said something that she couldn’t hear but it was obvious that the rest of them could. She glared at the floor. She wanted to hear. She was confused and wanted to learn more but couldn’t do that if they kept talking too quiet for her.

“We can discuss that at another time when we don’t have a guest that we still owe explanations to,” Edward said glancing back over to her.

‘ _thank you,’_ She thought. He nodded once. She was going to ignore how uneasy that made her feel that he could read minds.

“Of course, that was rude of me. Do you mind if we sit?” Dr. Cullen asked. He, Esme, Edward, and Jasper were all standing. Emmett being on another couch, Alice perched on the arm of that couch.

“it is your house,” Blake snarked but nodded. She didn’t like being one of the only ones sitting. She figured she didn’t stand a chance against a vampire anyway, but it would make her feel better if they sat. Jasper cautiously approached where she was sitting. She scooted a little to the side and he sat next to her, the waves of comfort coating her. She fought against leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

“Please, ask us any questions you have. We will answer.”

“What’s Rosalie so worried about?” They exchanged glances.

“The vampire world has laws. It is illegal for humans to know of our existence,” Dr. Cullen said. She could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

“Is Bella in danger?”

“No. We’ll make sure of it. Her…relationship with Edward allows for certain exceptions,” he said, honey eyes looking at her calmly. Blake nodded, thinking over a next question. Then she stopped, snapping her eyes back up to him. He gave her a gentle smile at how wide they were. She felt another wave of calm coming at her, but she brushed it away, ignoring the surprised look Jasper sent her.

“What about me?” She snapped.

“Yeah, that’s what Rosalie is worried about,” Emmett said.

“What’s the punishment?” Emmett winced.

“You know all the right questions, don’t you?”

“That’s not an answer. Haven’t we already discussed this once today?” They all chuckled.

“You got guts; I’ll give you that. Snarking off to a vampire.” She shrugged, a smug smile on her face.

“I do remember saying I had an affinity for danger,” She said. Jasper chuckled and shook his head, giving her look she couldn’t quite figure out. “Now, do I get an answer for it? What’s the punishment?”

“In the case of laws being broken, our leaders and their coven and guard deliver the punishment. Death to both parties.” Blake almost felt her heart skip a beat. “Don’t be scared. You’ll be okay, I promise this to you Blake. We won’t let anything happen to you or your sister.”

“How high can I hold the promise?” She whispered.

“As high as possible,” Dr. Cullen assured. While she hadn’t particularly cared if she died, she wasn’t about to be okay with all of the Cullens and sister dying. Especially not because of her. Edward frowned and she raced to come up with another question as a distraction.

“Do all vampires have special gifts like mind-reading?”

“No, not all. Some do. Not sure what exactly causes them. Some theories are that the traits in human life are amplified once being turned.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that some humans would have gifts?”

“If it was strong enough, sure. One of our family friends is gifted with being able to know what others are gifted with,” Dr. Cullen said. Blake bit her lip.

“That’s…helpful?” He smiled and chuckled.

“it used to be. Now his family is fairly secluded from the rest of the vampire world, much like ourselves.”

“Is there a reason you said his family, but your leaders’ coven?”

“Your observant,” Jasper added. Blake nodded, looking at him. “it’s good.”

“Yes, both Eleazer and I found it would be nicer to have a family, it’s closer than a coven would be. We are very truly a family while covens are usually not. Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s not say that they’re not close or don’t care for another, but it’s a personal choice we both made. It also distances us from some of the…mannerisms that covens practice in that we do not. Feeding on humans, for example.” Blake nodded, thinking it over.

“How old are you?”

“I was born in the 1600s.”

“Woah.” Everyone quietly chuckled at her response.

“I turned Edward in 1918, followed by Esme. Around a decade later I turned Rosalie and she found Emmett a couple of years later and I turned him then.”

“What about you two?” Blake asked looking at Jasper and Alice. Alice smiled and danced over, sitting on Jasper’s lap. Blake smiled at how passionately the two looked at each other.

“It was around 1920 when I was turned. I didn’t know much about my life before until our run-in with James.” Jasper’s hands tightened around her waist, so apparently, a couple of little details were left out of the story. “When I was turned, I went looking for this guy right here, I had already seen him.”

“You were alone?” She nodded, looking away from Jasper to look at Blake.

“I was. But I knew I would find him.”

“I was turned in the 1800s,” Jasper said, turning to look at Blake.

“That wouldn’t happen to have been during the war, would it have been?” He cleared his throat, smiling.

“It was, yes.”

“Tell me you were a soldier.”

“I was.”

“Knew it!” Everyone chuckled at her exclamation. She blushed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, ma’am. It’s quite alright.”

“With the knowledge that you have over a hundred years on me, it’s going to be weird hearing you call me ma’am.” He chuckled. “Do you guys burn in the sunlight?”

“No, but that’d be better, in my opinion,” Emmett said, causing Blake to raise a singular brow at him.

“Emmett!” Esme scolded.

“What? Can’t really be badass when we glitter.”

“You… _glitter?”_ Blake snorted when Emmett gave her a dry glare.

“Technically.” Blake tried to hold in her laughter, she really did, but then a visual of Emmett of drenched in silver glitter in the sun entered her head and she no longer could stop the laughter. She looked over to see Edward shaking his head but laughing as well.

“Thanks for that. Though maybe pink would be better suited,” He said, and her laughter intensified.

“So, Bella isn’t in any danger, right?” She asked when she stopped laughing. Dr. Cullen nodded. “I can’t think of anything else right now.”

“That’s quite alright, you’ve had a lot to take in. If you have more questions though, do not hesitate to ask us. Remember you can’t tell anyone about this.” Blake nodded.

Jasper took her home that night. The two of them talking about anything other than vampires and when they pulled up at her house she pouted.

“I was having fun talking to you.”

“The feeling is mutual, ma’am. I’ll see you soon, you still have therapy to do.” She nodded. “You do know that you don’t have anything to be afraid of from us, right?”

“Yeah. I trust you, Jasper.” His dark orbs narrowed on her.

“How foolish of you. Trusting a vampire.” Despite his smirk and teasing tone, she _felt_ the sincerity in his words, and she knew they were true. But she couldn’t help the trust that was growing in him. He was safe. She had never once felt trust like this with anyone else.

“Yeah, yeah. At least I’m not dating one.” He snorted. “Was that rude of me?” She asked, a smirk on her face.

“Not at all, ma’am. I do believe you should probably go inside. The suspense is killing Bella.” She chuckled but nodded. She went to get out of the car and had to bite her lip to keep from wincing at the pain that seemed to sweep through her entire body. “Carefully, Blake. Would you like help?” She turned to look at him and shook her head. She knew she would regret moving like she did earlier, but she was dead set on protecting her sister. Now she was paying the price as her leg punished her.

She took a deep breath and powered through the pain, before telling Jasper goodnight and limping her way inside her house. Once the door closed behind her, Charlie appeared, hands on his hips, full cop uniform still on.

“And, where were you?”

“The Cullens' house. We need to talk.” He nodded and let her lean on him as they walked to the kitchen table. She winced as she sat down. Once her dad gave her a couple of drugstore brand painkillers, he looked at her expectantly.

“You went by yourself?”

“yes.”

“Why?”

“I could handle it.” He raised his brows and she rolled her eyes. “Sit down, you’re making me nervous.” He did so, and she reached inside her coat, unclipping her gun from its holster and placing it on the table. “I could have handled it if it got bad.” He snorted.

“So, it didn’t? Get bad, I mean.” She shook her head.

“No, we had a talk, and I believe them. They didn’t hurt Bella.” He motioned for her to continue.

“Okay, why’d they follow her, then?”

“patience is a virtue, dear father,” She chuckled when he scowled. “dr. Cullen was concerned because she was upset and was trying to make sure she didn’t get hurt. They did get into an argument, it seems Bella inherited Renée’s knack for blowing things out of proportion. Everything is okay, dad. I promise.” He stayed quiet for a long moment.

“Well, you’ve always been a good judge of character. You’ll keep an eye on them?”

“of course.”

Later on, that night, after hours of trying to ignore the pain to go to sleep, she finally was able to fall into a dream filled with her red-eyed men.

Marcus was missing from this one as she moved around the library. The other two were sitting at separate tables, no words being spoken. They had books in front of them, but neither was paying attention to them, rather glaring at each other. Blake noticed that their eyes were closer to black in this dream.

She looked over the blonde’s shoulder, frowning when she saw unfamiliar symbols in the ancient text.

“Get over yourself, brother!” She jumped when the blonde suddenly yelled.

“What, exactly, do I have to get over?” The other growled, eyes narrowing.

“Don’t play yourself a fool, Aro.”

_Aro? Is that his name? Aro?_

All out once, she could hear about tons of voices saying ‘ _Aro’_ just like when she heard Marcus’ name for the first time.

Blake jumped awake, cringing at the pain that shot up her back.

“Aro!”


	5. Chapter 5

Blake spent the rest of the early mornings furiously sketching his face. _Aro’s_ face. She couldn’t believe she finally knew his name. It had been years since she had learned Marcus’. She had given up trying to learn the names of the strangers of her dreams. She finished off her sketch on him at the library table by writing his name in careful calligraphy at the bottom of the page.

She was confused and had tons of questions for the Cullens that had entered her head seemingly at once after she finished sketching. She got out her separate sketchbook and drew a light sketch of the Cullen family before starting to draw the images that she had seen of Edward and Jasper, with the blood-red eyes.

Once finished with that, she opened up her laptop and looked at the different army uniforms of the civil war. After sorting through them, she was able to match the uniform she had seen Jasper in with a confederate major uniform perfectly. She was staring at her drawing and the picture of the uniform with wide eyes before nearly jumping out of her skin when someone knocked on her door. She closed her sketchbook and laptop before calling out that it was open.

Bella came in, closed the door behind her, and came to sit on her bed, looking at Blake with wide eyes.

“Uh, can I help you?”

“Are you okay? I mean, with everything?”

“I’m fine. A little surprised, got a bunch of questions now.” They were silent for a moment before Blake wiggled her eyebrows. “So, a vampire, huh?” Bella’s mortified look was enough for Blake to start cackling.

“Oh my god! If that’s what you’re going to talk about, I will leave you here. I won’t even bring your food to you.”

“You would let your poor sister starve for vampire di-”

“I will murder you!”

Charlie opened the door, eyebrows raised. Blake shared a wide-eyed look with Bella.

“What’s this about murder?”

“Bella threatened me!”

“Blake is purposefully embarrassing me.” Charlie raised his brow at the synchronized shouts.

“Well, I’m sure the daughter of a police chief knows how to not get caught dumping a body.” Blake gave a shout of protest as Charlie chuckled and left. Bella furrowed her brows.

“Did I just get permission to murder you?”

“You could certainly try-I can take you without the use of both legs.” Bella rolled her eyes but smiled.

“Alright, stop bragging. But seriously, you processing everything okay?”

“Bella, I’ve met plenty of monsters. Just because there are things out there with fangs doesn’t change anything for me. Sure, it’s surprising finding out vampires are actually _real,_ but I’m okay. It explains a lot, actually,” Blake said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

“Like?”

“It just does. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?” Bella obviously wanted to know more but decided to leave it at that.

“I’m not grounded anymore. I’m going to go to Edward’s. You want to come? Ask more of your questions?”

“Nah, I’m going over there tomorrow for therapy.”

“You sure? They won’t mind.”

“really?” When Bella nodded, she rolled the idea around in her head before deciding if she waited any longer, she might explode not knowing the answer to her most pressing question at the moment. So, she agreed, and Bella left her so she could change. She grabbed both her sketchbooks; the one for her dream men and the other one that she put practically everything in and stuffed them in her bag. She hobbled out into the living room where Bella was sitting on the couch.

“Edward coming here?” When Bella nodded, she collapsed onto the couch. They waited in silence for only a few minutes before there was a knock on the door. Bella immediately launched off the couch, shooting a murderous look at Blake when she snickered.

Blake got to her feet right when she felt the energy around her to shift and looked up as Edward came around the corner. She quirked a brow at that. She could feel the danger around him, a reminder of how stupid she was being by allowing her and her sister around them.

She also knew that they could trust the Cullens. She deeply felt them sincere when they said they wouldn’t hurt her or Bella. But they were still vampires so. She wasn’t sure how much faith she should actually put in them.

Edward offered to carry her bag which she gave to him and then followed the two out of the house into the car. She spent the entire ride trying to play ridiculous songs in her and watching Edward for any reaction. There were a couple that caused a sharp look through the rearview mirror. Especially when he realized she was doing it on purpose.

When she started mentally singing ‘Barbie girl’ he winced.

“Aren’t you supposed to be an adult?” he asked, and she busted out laughing.

“I’m sorry, but I find out you’re a mind reader and I am definitely going to mess with that fact.” Bella shot her a confused glare to which she gave a cheeky smile. But she did relent and just tried not thinking for the rest of the ride.

However, trying to not think, causes a lot of thoughts and curses about realizing the current thinking.

Needless to say, Edward did give her weird looks.

When they pulled up the house, Jasper was on the steps, Alice dancing by his side. Blake went to open the door, but it was suddenly opened, and Jasper was standing there with Alice. Blake blinked a couple of times before her heart caught up and her pulse skyrocketed.

“What does that _feel_ like? To move so fast?”

“It’s not strange to us, it’s stranger to move slow.” He explained, not even hesitating. “Would you like me to carry you inside?” She knew how bad her leg was hurting so she nodded immediately. Alice grabbed her bag from the seat and the three of them were following Edward and Bella inside the house. Jasper gently lowered her onto the couch. Edward and Bella disappeared up the stairs.

“Ask your questions,” Alice said as she deposited her bag next to her on the couch. She smiled gratefully at her. She furrowed her brows upon seeing Dr. Cullen and Esme enter the room, quickly followed by Emmett who gave her a big goofy smile.

“Are you off today?” She directed the question to the doctor who nodded once, a small smile gracing his family.

“It’s supposed to be sunny today.”

“Oh yeah, your _‘camping trips’._ ”

“You know about those?” Emmett asked.

“Bella came home complaining about it. She tried to ask me to ask dad for her,” Blake said with a shrug. Truthfully, when she heard about it, she wished _she_ had thought about it when she was in school. She was pretty salty about for a good day and a half. “Not actual camping trips, I see.”

“well, camping usually involves sleeping outside, and we don’t sleep,” Alice chimed in.

“At all?” She shook her head. “Don’t you get bored?”

“Plenty of hobbies,” Emmett chimed in.

“Aren’t vampires supposed to have red eyes?” She asked, trying to make it sound like she was referencing modern interpretations of vampires, but really, she was thinking of Marcus, Aro and the other guy, and the weird images she had of Jasper and Edward.

“With our diet, our eyes are golden. Vampires who still feed on humans have red eyes. So are newborns, our kind when they first turn.” She nodded slowly.

“Is this like a dark red or…?”

“They are fairly dark. I’m sure someone as observant as you have noticed our eyes change shades.” She nodded and his smile widened. “Of course, you have, they change from being bright to dark depending on how long it has been since we have fed. Also, just as humans’ eyes do on a smaller scale, anger and other emotions can darken the color of our eyes. Generally, the darker our eyes are, the hungrier we are.” She nodded before suddenly turned to Jasper, who was seated next to her. He raised a single eyebrow.

“You wouldn’t happen to have been a confederate major, would you?”

“That’s a specific guess. I was, how’d you know?”

“uh, lucky guess?” His eyes went down to the floor.

“I’m not, like that, am I?”

“No, no! I had a dream. Just wanted to see.” They all exchanged looks. Jasper nodded once, but his jaw was set tight.

“I am not proud of the side I fought for. I don’t agree with the ideals of the confederates.”

“I didn’t think you did,” Blake was quick to assure him. She knew what prejudiced people were, and he was most certainly not one.

“Maybe another question?” Dr. Cullen suggested and she quickly nodded, turning her attention back to him.

“Can you guys eat food?”

“We can, but it does not do anything for us.”

“So, is it necessary for whole blood? Is it not a need for iron or something?”

“Taking iron supplements would not help us either,” they chuckled, and Blake blushed.

“You’re a doctor, so you know how coconut water can be used in emergency transfusions?” Dr. Cullen raised his brows, obviously amused at this question already but he nodded. Blake suspected he just wanted to humor her. “Could coconut water be a substitute?” Emmett snorted and Blake shot a glare at him. “I’m not trying to…bash on your food, I just want to know how it works.”

“It’s not anywhere near the same,” Dr. Cullen said drawing her attention back to him. “I’ve tried it. My father was a very religious and a vampire hunter. His ideals were mine and as I was turned into the very creature he loathed, I tried very hard to not become a monster.”

“I’ve met monsters and I can very confidently say that you aren’t one.” He gave her a sad smile. “Can you tell me more about your leaders?”

“They are very ancient vampires and they make sure there is order in our world to prevent humans from finding out about our kind.”

“yeah, usually by murdering entire covens,” Emmett snarked. Carlisle shot him a heated glare that made Blake’s skin crawl.

“They aren’t villains.” After a beat of silence, Blake cleared her throat, cutting through the tension in the room.

“That’s obviously a testy subject. So, if you guys are so old, why are you in high school?”

“We graduate stay for a while, then move and start again.” Blake was sure she heard it wrong but also knew that she hadn’t. She sent scandalized expression to each of them.

“ _Why?”_ She hissed. “High school was hell. People are gross and don’t know what hygiene is.” This caused them to once again laugh while she huffed. “I know things change and want to learn, but you can do that on your own. With all the ways to spend immortality and you do it in _high school?_ ”

“it’s a sense of normalcy. But mostly because the younger we portray ourselves, the longer we can stay in one area before we have to move.” She nodded, even though she was still fucking confused about why immortals would want to go to high school over and over.

“What’s my sister doing with Edward?”

“They’re discussing their awful taste in music,” Emmett chuckled. Blake raised a brow and immediately started mentally singing the song again.

“If you sing Barbie Girl one more time!” Edward yelled from upstairs but did leave the threat hanging there. Blake, Jasper, and Emmett started cackling while Alice sighed loudly.

“There are many other songs to aggravate him with,” she said offhandedly, once the three stopped laughing. Blake considered asking about the likelihood of her having some kind of gift but brushed it off. She wasn’t anything special.

“What do you guys actually look like in the sun? you actually sparkle?” She asked. Jasper turned to her, a smirk on his face.

“You want to see?” She hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Can I carry you?” She nodded again. He stood and then scooped her into his arms. Even through both hers and his clothes, the ice-cold temperature of his skin sunk into hers causing her to shiver. Jasper looked out of the window. “We’ll have to go up the mountain. You alright with that? It’ll be quick?”

“Oh, vamp speed, huh?” he chuckled but nodded. “Alright.” Dr. Cullen instructed her to tuck her head and close her eyes to prevent getting too motion sick. He also must have said something to Jasper, because he nodded. “It’ll be fine.” Dr. Cullen still had a strange expression on his face until Alice came over to him.

“It’s fine.” Dr. Cullen and Esme visibly relaxed, causing Blake’s brows to furrow and her heart rate to pick up. Why did they need the psychic’s assurance?

“You ready?” Jasper asked her and she said yes, before putting her head down and screwing her eyes shut.

The experience was strange. She couldn’t feel him moving, but the wind pelting them was enough to inform her they were indeed moving.

Very fast.

When they stopped, though, she felt that. It was like when a car slammed on breaks, where all of you wants to keep moving, but more intense. She groaned, a quiet ‘oof’ leaving her. Jasper put her feet on the ground, keeping a steady grip on her arms until she assured him that she was okay. The concern in his eyes was nice, she didn’t mind it like she usually did.

Probably because he was a vampire.

She looked around. They were under a canopy of trees, but up ahead the sun shone very brightly on a rock that overlooked a huge drop. He looked at her with a tight expression before sighing, running his hand through his hair.

“I was going to roll my sleeves up, so you can see more. I have…scars, from my time before meeting Carlisle.”

“I have my share of scars, Jasper. I won’t judge you for them. But, don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” He gave her a smile, but his eyes were dark. He started walking towards the rock in the sun.

She noticed his hands hesitate on his sleeves before pushing them up. Her breath caught in her throat for a second as he continued towards the rock. She wasn’t expecting the scars to be crescents of teeth scattered upon his arms. They were barely noticeable, but she suspected they were probably much more prominent to a vampire’s eye.

And the second she saw them, terror flooded her veins before she pushed it aside. She trusted him, even if he was a vampire. Then again, the marine in her had already mapped out five places where he could hide her body, not even counting just throwing her over the edge.

“You don’t have to be scared. I know your intuition is hardwired better than most humans, and that’s a good thing, but what they’re telling you is that I am a vampire. The scars are adding to the danger, but that’s a story for another day. You have nothing to fear, ma’am.” She knew what he was doing. That ma’am at the end was there for the very purpose of grounding her. It worked.

“I know that. I figured that out last night.” He nodded and then looked back to the sun. He took another two steps and was in the rays. The effect was immediate, light-reflecting in all different directions. As he turned to face her, fear intensified, and calmness surrounded her. Fear was still there, ever insistent, but her heart was no longer trying to escape her chest. “Woah.” That was all she could get out and he chuckled, stepping back into the shadows. She hoped that was engrained in her memory.

“You alright, ma’am?” She rolled her eyes and he laughed, coming closer to her, palms facing her.

“Dude, I’m okay. But you all being vampires has my nerves on fire.”

“I suspect, if you were a vampire, you’d be a formidable opponent.” When she furrowed her brows, he elaborated, “Any skill as a human is amplified during the change. Since your instincts are so well adjusted, even as a human, I’d imagine as a vampire it would serve you well in a fight, probably as an extra sense.”

“Are you planning on turning me into a vampire?” Jasper turned back to look over the valley, arms clasped behind his back. He shrugged, barely noticeable, but she still caught it.

“the others don’t want to. They want to keep you human, Bella as well. If it was up to me, I’d have you both turned. Humans are breakable, and you’re part of the family now, anyway. Bella more so than you, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“And as much as Rosalie wouldn’t wish this life onto anyone else, it would also make sure we don’t continue to break the law. I understand wanting to not turn you, it should be your decision anyway.”

“How does one turn into a vampire?” he cut his eyes to her before looking back over the valley.

“Vampire venom. A vampire bites a human and the venom courses through the veins, slowly turning them.”

“Wasn’t Bella bitten?”

“Yes, James bit her before we got to her. Edward managed to…extract the venom from her.”

“Why? Why not let her turn if it would save you so many problems?” He gave a dark chuckle that made her skin crawl.

“Then you definitely would have shown up to our house shooting before asking questions. Newborns cannot be around humans, too unpredictable, and therefore, her death would have been faked.” A chill went down her spine at the idea of Bella being dead.

“Oh. Glad he didn’t then. I wouldn’t have known.” A moment of silence passed. “Would you guys have told me if Bella hadn’t?” He shook his head.

“Not likely. We didn’t tell Bella either. We’re hoping if we do get caught, that it counts as a loophole, but I wouldn’t hold my breath about it.” She nodded. “are you ready to head back?” she nodded.

Blake spent the next several months getting to know the Cullens. Most of the time, Rosalie avoided her, and she found out from Bella that the blonde vampire ignored her as well. While Bella spent most of her time with Edward, Blake spent hers with the rest of the Cullens, though most of her time ended up with Jasper. He felt like family to her very quickly, and he was quite easy to get along with.

That first night after she saw Jasper in the sun, she had a dream of Aro standing in a very large and extravagant garden, skin sparkling exactly as Jasper’s had. She had a suspicion that it was much more than her imagination, but she did have some kind of supernatural gift to see these specific men, then it would no longer be her safety. It would be real, and she didn’t want that. She liked the solace they were. They were _hers._ If they were real, they would no longer be so. So, she never brought it up to the Cullens. She wanted to be selfish with the one thing that made her feel special.

Her therapy was helping, if only slightly. She was now able to put more pressure on her leg for longer. Her pain was still atrocious, but she was able to overcome it easier over the months that she worked with Esme.

She was getting attached to them. That terrified her because the last people she let herself attach to was her team, and she wasn’t able to stop them from dying. But she couldn’t help it anymore. Also didn’t help Esme and Carlisle, who had insisted she stopped calling him Doctor, kept assuring her that she deserved to let herself be happy. She got along better with Jasper than any of the other Cullens. He usually ended up driving to and from her house nowadays. Including tonight.

They were laughing about nothing and everything when he parked in her driveway.

“Blake, there is something truly special about you.” Her breath caught. She knew she couldn’t keep the fact of her insecurities from an _empath,_ but she thought she had done a well enough job. “I am not just saying that either. I am the newest vegetarian in the family. Thus, I do not interact with humans. But you, you don’t make me want to tear your throat out.” His eyes were intense as he stared into hers. Her eyebrows shot up at that, though.

“uh, you’re welcome?”

“It’s much more than just you. With my abilities, I can always feel my family’s thirst as well as my own, which makes in unbearable at times. But around you, it doesn’t affect me. It’s strange.”

“Thanks, I’ve always been called strange.” They both laughed and his gaze lightened. “But for real, Jasper. That’s neat. And if I’m helping you somehow, I’m very glad. Wait, is that why Emmett didn’t want you driving with us that first time he took me home?” When he nodded, Blake chuckled. “very glad I didn’t know that at the time. Jasper…”

“What is it? You can tell me anything, you know this. Nothing to be scared about.”

“Not scared.” It was true, she wasn’t scared to tell him. Anxious as hell, but not scared. So, she took a deep breath and started. “You feel like home. I feel safe with you, even if you’re a vampire. Like, unnaturally safe, and it’s weird and-”

“I know what you’re talking about,” Jasper cut off her rambling very calmly and she rolled her eyes.

“Right, Mr. Southern Empath.”

“I feel it as well. It’s strange, indeed. I haven’t felt anything like it before.”

“I have.” He raised a brow and she turned away from him. “Once. It wasn’t as strong as the comfort I feel around you. It was with Nick, my buddy in the marines. We felt like…family. Is that what we are? Are we family?”

“I like to think so, ma’am.”

“You can only say that if you won’t leave me. Like everyone else.” He turned her face towards him.

“I promise. I will never abandon you. You’re family.”

If only Blake knew what was about to happen, maybe she could have saved herself some heartbreak.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the start of New Moon, which means the Volturi will find out about her in the not so distant future.   
> (Thanks everyone for the support so far, hope you enjoy)

Bella’s birthday was today, so Blake was at the Cullens’ house with Esme, baking, while everyone else was at school. She found it ironic that people decades older than her was still in high school when she graduated years ago.

Despite Esme insisting that she could do it, Blake argued that she hadn’t spent a birthday with Bella in years and even then, it wasn’t either of the sisters’, and she really wanted to do something for Bella.

Blake was going to get her gifts, but with Bella’s opposition, she opted out, especially since she knew everyone else got her something. So, she was determined to help bake the fucking cake.

She wiped flour off her hands and onto her pants as she took in the vast amount of sweets on the counter.

“Esme, you do realize that only two people are actually going to be eating, right?” All Blake got in answer was a light laugh as Esme blurred around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess that was mostly Blake’s fault.

“Well, one only ever turns eighteen, once.” Well, she wasn’t wrong, so Blake wasn’t going to argue. Besides, she liked cake, she would eat plenty. “How’s that painting going?” She was asking about the portrait that Blake had started months ago, but almost every time she started on it, she would get emotional. It was supposed to be a portrait of Nick, her marine buddy, her _brother_ for all intents and purposes. She was supposed to give it to his parents when she finished, but she had kept it a secret, knowing she would have trouble finishing it.

“It’s…coming along. I think I may try and power through it tomorrow.”

“Oh, the kids are home.” Blake scowled. Sometimes, vampire senses really got on her nerves. She was used to being able to rely on herself and squad for people coming in, but vampire senses greatly outmatched hers.

Alice came dancing into the kitchen followed shortly by the rest of them. She stood and Jasper gave her a hug.

“Welcome back from hell.” They all chuckled as Rosalie glared around the kitchen.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Rose, come on. It’s a birthday, lighten up,” Emmett said. “Please? We don’t do these things often.” Rose gave a shallow nod before leaving the room.

“Come on, Bella and Edward will be here later. I’ve got to get all the decorations up.” She disappeared into a blur.

“How many decorations is she planning on putting up?” Blake asked, only getting laughs in reply. “She’s going all out?”

“Close to it.” Blake rolled her eyes with a laugh before going back to Esme’s side and taking the directions on how to make the frosting for the cake.

Shortly after Blake and Esme finished frosting the cake, Carlisle walked into the kitchen, going straight to his wife. Alice appeared next to her.

“Come on, you got to get changed. The directions are all up.” As soon as the words left Alice’s mouth, the smile fell from Blake’s face as terror and dread hit her full force. “What’s wrong?”

“Have you already seen tonight? Everything’s going to be okay?” The words rushed out of her mouth before she could stop them, her grip tight on Alice’s arm. Her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest as Jasper appeared in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong, ma’am. You’re safe.”

“Yes, Blake. I’ve seen tonight, why? What’s wrong?”

“Just. A bad feeling,” Blake gasped, removing her hand from Alice.

“Blake, that’s more than a bad feeling. You felt that before?” Jasper asked. Blake thought about lying. She didn’t have a high track record of people believing her, but then she quickly remembered she was in a house full of vampires, one of which could literally see the future.

“Once. The day Bella played baseball with you all.” The room went completely still as she looked around.

“We’ll keep an eye out. Okay? Let’s get you changed.” Blake nodded and allowed Alice to lead her into her room. She had tried to get out of wearing a dress but had no such luck. Alice laid out a long black dress that went to the floor. She sighed in relief. The last thing she wanted was an outfit that showed the scars on her leg.

Once Alice left the room, Blake took off her sweats and pulled on the dress. It went past her feet and had long sleeves. She was sure Jasper probably told her to go more modest because of her issues, but she had been trying to avoid getting mad at them about their gifts. They were gifted and she shouldn’t get mad at something so cool.

It did get on her nerves quite often, though.

One peeking on her thoughts, the other messing with her emotions. But she’d spent the better part of the summer trying to get used to it. It did help that she seemed to be able to tell when Edward could and couldn’t read her mind. Her sense of danger and… wrongness for the lack of a better word would intensify when he was doing so. Not by much, not enough that it’s extremely noticeable, but enough that she would be able to tell, and steer her thoughts towards less personal stuff until it faded. If he noticed, he hadn’t said anything, and she definitely wouldn’t bring his attention to it.

Once she finished shuffling around the dress, she decided to quickly French braid her hair before slowly heading back down the stairs. Her leg still hurt, especially going up and down the stairs, and she had every intention of asking either Jasper or Emmett to carry her up the stairs later for her clothes.

She got into the living room, Alice giving her a glare once she did so, and she knew she didn’t get away with not wearing shoes, but she wasn’t about to go back up the stairs. Alice steered her close to her and Jasper.

“Still feel off?” She asked. Blake nodded.

“Not as bad, but it’s still there.” The dread had subsided slightly, but not enough to not make her worry. She was proud that she said something this time. She would be damned if something bad happened _again_ because she didn’t say anything. She had told the superpowered vampires so, that felt sufficient enough.

Jasper’s cold hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

“Calm down. We’ll be looking out for anything.” She nodded and then smiled when Alice announced her sister’s arrival and left to go get her. When the three came back, Bella rolled her eyes while Blake smiled.

“Sorry about this, we tried to reign Alice in,” Carlisle said as he greeted Bella. Blake moved back as Alice showed up with a camera. Once the vampires moved, Blake smiled at her sister.

“Happy birthday?” Bella scowled but came to hug her anyway. “ _I_ did nothing.” They both chuckled as Blake moved back, Jasper immediately moved to her side. She used to think it was a little weird, but now that she knew she literally made it easier for him to breathe, she felt better about it.

“dating an older woman? Hot.” Blake rolled her eyes at hearing this from Emmett. Alice gave Rosalie a present which she promptly thrust at Bella.

“It’s a necklace, Alice picked it out.” Jasper subtly took a step back, which Blake copied. He shot her a grateful smile. She merely nodded in response. Alice gave Bella another one saying it was from Emmett.

“Blake come here, I want a picture with you and Bella,” Alice whined. Blake huffed but did as asked. “Come on, you’re good at following orders.” She rolled her eyes but smiled for the picture. She moved off to the side as Alice handed Bella an envelope, who winced as she was opening it.

“paper cut,” she hissed. At once, Blake knew that was very bad.

“no!” Edward roared and then Bella was across the room, the sound of shattering glass echoing in her ears. Jasper and Edward collided in enough noise that made her ears rattle as her training kicked in and she hurried to Bella’s side. She took a deep breath and froze when her hands landed on Bella’s arm, coming in contact with blood, a texture she knew all too well. Slowly, both sisters turned to look at the ravenous vampires in the house.

“Emmett, Rose, get Jasper outside,” Carlisle said. It was the last thing Blake could hear before the sound of her own blood pumping became loud in her ears. As she stared down at Bella’s pale skin covered in blood, her vision faded to that of Nick’s throat.

His throat a clear hole in it, spraying blood up over her arms as she dragged him back behind the wall. His pale blue eyes staring up to hers, but not focused. His low chokes as she ignored her own pain, trying desperately to get him to breathe without that awful rattling sound coming from his lungs. The blood that she had to bury her face in for hours lest she be caught and tortured.

She screamed when a hand touched her arm, pure, ice-cold, terror taking hold of her soul.

“Blake, it’s Carlisle Cullen. I need you to breathe. I’m going to take your sister, Bella to the kitchen. I have to stitch her wounds. You have to breathe. You’re safe here. You’re in my house, in Forks.” Blake shook as her eyes struggle to focus on his form. She saw a blurry figure walking behind him, getting further away with each second. “I don’t want to leave her. Stay with her. Try to get her to talk.” With that, she saw the blond walk away from her as she struggled to get her limbs to stay still.

The blurry image she was looking at was not matching with the sounds echoing through her skull. The gunshots and screams were clear as she snapped her head around the room, trying to find the source.

“Blake.” She snapped her head to the left when she could barely make out the figure of a woman slowly approaching her with palms up. “It’s Alice Cullen.” She knew that name. She took a deep breath, the burn in her lungs fading. “That’s it, Blake. Take deep breaths. I can’t lead them for you, or I would.” Blake blinked a couple of more times, the gunshots fading as she looked around, noticing that she couldn’t see because of the tears that had filled up her eyes and were streaming down her face. She went to wipe her face but then a napkin landed in her lap. She looked up at Alice sending her a tight-lipped smile. “Are you okay? Because I really-”

“go,” Blake croaked. “I’m okay.” With a hesitant step, Alice blurred out the door. She was thankful for the napkin, preventing her from seeing the blood on her hands which she could clearly still feel. She put her hand on the piano and forced herself up walking into the kitchen.

Carlisle and Bella looked over to her. Her eyes, however, were immediately drawn to the wound on her sister’s arm. It wasn’t bad, and she sighed a breath of relief.

“I’m sorry,” Blake whispered, blinking back fresh tears. Bella shook her head.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m the clutz that managed to get a papercut.” That’s not why she was sorry, and she knew Bella knew it but decided to wait until later to bring it up as she pointed to the sink.

“Can I…” Carlisle nodded.

“of course, we’ll have to clean anyway.” So, Blake went to the kitchen sink and roughly started scrubbing off her arms. “Blake,” She froze even as his voice was calm. “Gentle.” She sighed but tried to do as the doctor asked. Once she was sure the only pink on her hands was from scrubbing her skin raw and not blood, she shut off the water. She turned and tuned back into the conversation. Once she discovered they were talking about souls and such, she left the room, immediately sliding down the wall in the hall.

Her sister needed her, and she couldn’t even do that right.

_What kind of fuck up does that?_

“don’t. You had no control over that.” She snapped her head up to where Edward was standing, face blank. “Come on, let me get you upstairs so you can change.” She hesitated for a second before lifting her arms allowing him to grab her. Her skin crawled as he did so, but forced herself to stay calm. He plopped her down in front of the door and then turned. She went in, unzipping the dress and allowing it to pool around her feet. She pulled on her sweats as fast as she could. She then made her way back to the stairs, determined to not let Edward touch her again tonight.

Once she made it outside, she sighed upon seeing that she was going to be crammed into the truck with Edward and Bella.

“Dr. Cul- Carlisle.” He appeared by her side. “Would it be okay if I stayed here and called for a taxi? I really don’t want to be stuck in that small of a space.”

“I can drive you,” he offered. Blake turned her head to him slowly.

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You won’t, I promise.” She slowly nodded. He went back inside and got his keys as she stared after Bella’s truck. He came back and motioned to his car. She slowly followed him, giving him a quiet thank you as he opened her door. She could practically feel the darkness that had settled over the Cullens.

“Are you okay?”

“what? From being rendered completely useless when my sister needed me?” Her voice cracked and she snapped her head to the side, staring out of the window. She rested her elbow against the rest and put her knuckles against her lips.

“You weren’t useless. Blake, PTSD is a serious thing, and you can’t control it.” She shook her head, eyes filling with tears.

“Carlisle, I have medical training. I have seen blood before, I shouldn’t have _frozen_ like that.”

“did you freeze or were you remembering?”

“Does it matter? I was rendered useless anyway.”

“Blake, you aren’t useless. Bella is fine.”

“No thanks to me,” She grumbled before sighing when she remembered he could clearly hear that. “look, I know what PTSD is, and I know I can’t control it. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t useless in there. Because I was. Can we just drop it?” She finished in a whisper, turning her head to him. He looked at her for a second before nodding.

“of course.” They were silent for a moment before Blake’s mind finally caught up.

“Is Jasper okay?”

“he will be. He’s not happy with himself.”

“it wasn’t his fault.”

“We’ll be spending the entire night letting him know that.” A second of silence. “Blake, tell me about that feeling you had earlier.” She bristled.

“It was nothing. Just a gut feeling,” She wasn’t lying.

“Blake, if you have a gift like your sister-”

“I’m not gifted. I’m a marine with good instincts. Nothing more.” She was resolute on her decision to not talk anymore for the rest of the ride and was happy when Carlisle seemed to pick up on that without any further words.

She gave him a genuine goodnight when he pulled up to her house and she limped in. Charlie gave her a wave as she passed him. She stopped at the corner turning to stare at the stairs as she wanted to go check on Bella but knew that her leg would not allow that, so she sighed pitifully and went into her room. She collapsed on the bed, tears filling her eyes once again as she cocooned herself into her blankets. The stress from Bella getting hurt and her memories were overwhelming.

She did not sleep that night. She got up at sunrise, ate, then came into her room to finish painting the portrait of Nick. She ended up stopping shortly before Bella got home because she broke down crying. The next day, she steeled herself and finished the painting. She was supposed to go to therapy with Esme but got a text saying that she couldn’t.

It felt significant.

She should have listened to her gut.

Bad things always happen when she doesn’t.

The next day, it was going well. Blake had finished the painting and only had to wait for the oils to dry before she could pack it up and send it off. She hadn’t decided if she wanted to deliver it personally to Nick’s family or just send it in the mail. She wasn’t sure if she could handle looking at his family when she was the reason their son came home in a box.

Everything was fine until it wasn’t.

Charlie barged into her room, eyes wide and breathing hard.

“Bella’s missing.” That caused her to jump out of her bed and ignore the stinging pain in her leg. She followed Charlie into the lawn. Not long after they left the house did a couple of police cruisers show up.

“I don’t understand. What happened? Her truck is here?” Blake asked, putting a hand on her dad’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. Her and Edward went to talk. He left and she is just…gone.” She decided right then and there that she would find a way to murder a vampire. How fucking dare he?

“Okay, who all did you call? How long has it been? Did you see which way she went?”

“Called Billy, a couple of people at the department, the hospital, Dr. Gerandy said he’d come. Is that enough?”

“They probably all told more people, dad, now, how long ago? Which way?” Blake asked, trying to get him to calm by keeping herself calm.

“Her note said up the path. Not too long ago, I don’t think.”

“Alright, that’s good. I’ll start-”

“Billy said he was going to send some of the boys up here. That they know the woods better than anyone. Wait for them? I know you want to go, I want to too, but it’d be best we wait and group together. Plus, I don’t want you in the woods by yourself with your leg like that.” He had good points, but that didn’t change the fact that her _sister_ was in the woods and no one was trying to find her right now.

“But, dad-”

“they won’t be too long.”

He was right, not too much later and a truck full of reservation boys pulled up in the yard and immediately came over to where Blake and Charlie were standing.

“Hey, Sam, thank you for coming,” Charlie said as he shook hands.

“Yeah, yeah, great to see, but the sun is starting to go down and I need to find my sister,” Blake snapped. Sam nodded and the boys all dispersed into the woods, Charlie and Blake not far behind.

Charlie took the lead at first but quickly started following Blake once she pointed out three different times that he was not following the way Bella had gone. She had trained for a long time to track someone. While she had better movability back then, she could still see a good bit.

After about an hour of searching and calling Bella’s name, and Blake’s leg giving out quite often, Charlie took her back to the house, despite her grumbling and snapping at him. He left her with Dr. Gerandy and then disappeared back into the woods for about another fifteen minutes before coming back.

“Don’t glare at me like that, Blake. You couldn’t walk.” She sighed because he was right, but that didn’t stop her from being mad about it.

“Can I see that note?” He handed it to her. It was not Bella’s handwriting. _That_ did not make her feel any better. When she saw Sam coming back out of the woods, a blob in his arm, she jumped up, racing across the yard. “Bella!” Her leg tried to buckle but she forced herself steady as she stopped right in front of them.

“Blake?”

“Hey, little sis, it’s okay. You’re safe.” She held her arms out, eyes hard as she stared up at Sam, her message clear; ‘ _hand Bella over or regret it’._ Fortunately for both of them, Charlie came and collected Bella, staggering under her weight.

“Maybe I should hold her,” Sam said. Blake figured that would be the better option once she quite literally could not move. If she tried, she knew she would end up on the ground.

“I got her,” Charlie said, turning and walking into the house.

“Are you going to go into the house?”

“Uhh, I’m trying to figure out if I can.” He furrowed her brows and she motioned to her leg. “I have a leg injury. I’m not sure if I can move right now without falling flat on my fucking face.” He raised his eyebrows.

“You want me to carry you?” He suggested. She hesitantly and very lightly shifted her weight. It didn’t matter that it was a little bit, her leg gave out. He caught her, and a sense of warmth, safety, the chase, and the woods itself overcame her. She furrowed her brows.

“Yeah, okay. Please? If it’s not a problem.” He nodded, quickly scooping her into his arms.

“Not a problem at all,” he said as he started walking towards the house.

“Thank you. Both for this and finding my sister. Mostly for finding her. How far in was she?”

“It’s not a problem. She was pretty far in there, but we know the woods well.”

“Yeah. I know.” He looked down at her, raising his brows, but she turned her head as he walked in, putting her down on the end of the couch. She gave him another ‘thanks’ as he left. She plopped Bella’s legs into her lap.

The volunteers were leaving slowly, her dad giving them their gratitude. She stroked Bella’s calves through the blankets lightly, trying not to wake her. Then the phone started ringing and Charlie raced to answer it. He had just managed to sit in his chair when it rang again. He groaned and went after it. Blake slightly smirked. She didn’t want to listen in and wasn’t sure she could focus on the words if she did. She was going to murder Edward for leaving Bella in the woods and leaving a note for her. When Charlie came back, Blake was startled when Bella spoke, not realizing she was awake.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. Charlie immediately came by the couch as Blake turned her attention to Bella’s face.

“I’m sorry I woke you, honey.”

“Is something on fire?” She asked. Apparently, _she_ had listened to Charlie’s phone call.

“It’s nothing, just some bonfires on the cliffs.”

“Bonfires?” Blake scowled. Whatever Edward had said to her was not good. Bella’s voice lost any and all emotion. She was so going to blow him up.

“Some of the kids from the reservation being rowdy.”

“Why?” This was something that had caught Blake’s attention as well, though not as much as wanting to find out what happened to Bella.

“They’re celebrating the news.” Blake furrowed her brows. Apparently, she had missed something while she was focused on finding Bella.

“Because the Cullens left,” Bella whispered, and Blake’s blood seemed to freeze in her veins. “They don’t like the Cullens in La Push—I’d forgotten about that.” Blake’s thoughts were racing a million miles a minute, but above all, she felt betrayed. She had spent so much of her time with them, had _trusted_ them even knowing the danger they put off and they had _left._

Jasper had _promised_ her he wouldn’t leave. She made him promise and he had, sincerely. If she had been wrong about that, then could she have been right about any of them? What if them being vampires skewed her above par perception?

They had left and they hadn’t even told her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days after Blake had discovered not only had Edward left Bella in the woods but that the entire vampire family had left, was spent with Blake trying to get Bella to talk to her. No such luck.

She had packed up her painting of Nick, wrote a very long letter to his family (that was most definitely raindrops smearing all that ink, _definitely not_ her tears), it ended up being a good ten pages, and made sure to bubble wrap it. She slapped many fragile stickers all over the box and then sent it to his family. They lived several states over, so it was perfectly acceptable for her to not go in person.

She spent her days ignoring every ounce of betrayal she felt and instead stuffed it along with her guilt from her last mission. She would deal with it later. Right now, her sister needed her, she couldn’t help her sister if she was dealing with her own shit.

However, Bella didn’t want help.

All she did was sit there. She was completely lifeless, and frankly, it was driving Blake up the fucking wall. So, her boyfriend fucking left her, so what? It happens all the time. Maybe they weren’t always vampires, but she couldn’t wrap her head around why Bella had completely shut down from the world.

About a week later, Charlie came into her room, at noon. When he was supposed to be at work. She furrowed her brows at followed him to the kitchen. Bella was at school, and if something had happened to her, she knew that he would have called her from wherever he was.

“what’s going on? You okay?” He nodded a couple of times before taking a deep breath.

“Is everything with Bella…normal?”

“You mean her completely fucking shutting down?” She snapped and then sighed, rubbing her hand through her hair. “Sorry, I’m just. Trying to work through some stuff.”

“Talk to me? Please?” He was looking at her with so much concern that she caved. He didn’t deserve to have to worry about both of his daughters.

“I’m just very confused about why this is effecting Bella so much. I try not to make this about me, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I watched my entire team die, I lost my ability to walk properly, my entire career, all in one day, and I never shutdown like Bella is doing. She had a breakup.” Even as she said that she could feel that there was something deeper there. She could feel that it was something deeper than just a boyfriend dumping her. But it’s not like she could just pop over there and ask them about it.

“Yeah, that’s fair. Blake, never apologize for your feelings. Maybe she just needs time?” He looked lost, so Blake simply nodded. “Yeah, time. Okay. And you,” she raised her brows. “Why don’t you make friends?”

“Because I can’t leave my house?” he gave her a look that clearly stated he didn’t believe her. “Okay, because I like being alone. It’s easier that way.” He clearly didn’t want to leave it there, but he was Charlie, so he wasn’t going to push it. He instead nodded once. He looked to the side, scuffing his boot against the ground. She groaned and he smirked. “Would Billy mind company?”

“Not at all. I’ll drive you.” She scoffed a laugh but followed him out of the door. “You want to stay the night? I’ll go throw some clothes in a bag for you?” She thought about it for a second.

“Don’t have to. My backpack is on the chair by my bed.” He nodded and went back into the house as she went into the police cruiser. Her bag was still packed from when she was supposed to go stay at the Cullens. That wasn’t going to happen now, though. She was still putting her sketchbook in there out of convenience for the time being. So, she had everything she needed.

Soon, they were pulling up at Billy’s house. He was on the porch and smiled at her when she got out. Charlie promised to pick her up the next day and then left. Blake smiled as she walked up the porch, giving Billy a strong hug.

“hey, kid. You alright?” She nodded and he led her into the house. “Jacob’s at school right now. Sam Uley is supposed to be coming by.” She nodded and put her bag between the couch and small table like she usually did anytime she came over. It had been years, she was still in high school the last time she stayed the night, but the house still felt like her second home.

“You sent him, right? When he got Bella out of the woods?” he nodded. “Thanks for that. If I could still move-” She bit her lip and he laughed.

“Don’t worry about offending me now, Blake. I may be in a wheelchair, but I have been for a long time. It doesn’t bother me. You, however, are not used to not being able to walk like you used to. Go ahead, don’t hold back. You can talk to me.” She only hesitated for a minute before nodding, plopping down on the couch.

“If I could still move like I could before my injury, I would have got her, but I couldn’t. So, thanks for sending Sam. Speaking of Sam, he got big!”

“Yeah, not the same four-year-old you know, hmm?”

“Four-year-old?” Blake turned to see Sam coming in from the backdoor, buttoning a pair of denim shorts, wearing nothing else.

“We’ve met a couple of times before. I think the last time I saw you were thirteen, but it was only a glimpse, at the…funeral.” She cut a glimpse at Billy, hoping she didn’t upset him. “Not sure if you saw me.”

“Oh, yeah. I think I remember.” Sam was just a little over three years younger than her. She used to spend a lot of time on the reservation with Charlie and Billy, and therefore she had met Sam before. Most were when she was seven, she practically lived with Billy and his house full of people at the time. She very well doubted he actually remembered that summer. “Billy, can I talk to you privately?” Billy followed Sam out onto the porch, and Blake looked around the cozy house.

Very little had changed in the house. It still had the cozy air to it which it always had. She wanted to snoop around to find out what _had_ changed but decided against it. She didn’t think she could move fast enough to get away with that anymore.

Once she realized that it was going to take Billy a while, she pulled out her brand-new sketchbook and started drawing Billy. She had mostly finished the details of his face when he came back in. She smiled at him, closing the book.

“Sam coming back in?” He shook his head.

“I have some leftovers, want to heat them up, and watch tv?” She nodded and they did just that.

The next day was a Saturday, she and Billy spent all day fishing. They asked Jacob to come along, but he declined. It felt good, to spend time with Billy again. She hadn’t really since before she enlisted.

That night when Charlie came to pick her up, the three ended up talking and drinking a couple of beers, causing them to talk even more so Charlie could sober up enough to drive. They all made plans to go fishing together the next weekend before Blake and Charlie went home.

Upon getting home and seeing Bella was not downstairs, she yelled a ‘goodnight’ up the stairs and went straight to bed.

She woke with a start at a high-pitched scream. She thought she was dreaming until it persisted.

“Bella!” She flew out of her bed, grabbed her gun, and stormed up the steps, not even registering her pain as she nearly collided with her dad in their hurry to get to Bella. They threw open the door, guns drawn, only too see Bella thrashing in her bed, screaming. They both heaved deep breaths, lowering their weapons, and clicking the safety back on. Blake gave her gun to Charlie.

“You got this?” He asked and she nodded. He hesitated, watching Bella, but Blake shooed him out. She turned and went over to Bella, making sure to get a hold of her wrists to prevent her from smacking her when she woke.

“Bella,” She shook her lightly, only getting another scream in response. “Bella!” She shook her harder and her sister’s eyes snapped open as she sat up.

“Blake?” Bella croaked. “What are you doing here?”

“You were screaming. Nearly gave Dad and me heart failure. Wanna talk about it?” She shook her head. “Want some water?”

“I just want to go back to sleep,” Bella snapped. Blake released her wrists when she was sure she wasn’t going to accidentally elbow her in the face.

“Okay. Do that. Goodnight.” When she stood Bella jumped up.

“Wait!” She turned. Bella turned her face down, scrunching the comforter in her hands. “Can you stay with me, tonight? Please?” Blake gave her a small smile and nodded, slipping under the comforter. Bella grabbed a hold of her arm. Blake hoped that maybe each other’s presence could keep away the nightmares from both.

As Bella’s breathing evened out, Blake was contemplating how she could find the Cullens and destroy Edward for hurting her sister like this. Bella never did anything to deserve it. She knew the vampires were good at not getting caught, but she would figure out how to find them.

Blake did not go back to sleep that night, but when Bella woke up, she had decided that she avoided getting hit by her elbow prematurely. Bella jerked awake, her elbow smacking straight into Blake’s face.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Blake groaned, holding her cheek. “it’s alright.” The sisters got up out of the bed and made their way downstairs. Charlie wasn’t up yet, so Blake took the opportunity to figure out something to say to Bella. “Are you okay?” Bella only nodded; expression blank in a way more substantial than someone who had just woken up.

“This isn’t healthy, Bella.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Excuse me?” Blake hissed, slamming the mug she had just picked up back onto the counter.

“You’re really not one to talk about what’s healthy and what’s not.”

“We are _not_ talking about me right now. It’s been a while and you are still behaving like the world just ended.”

“It might as well have,” Bella muttered and then disappeared faster than Blake could keep up. She groaned, rubbing her face. That went about as well as driving a new truck into a brick wall.

She spent the next several weeks trying to be able to talk to Bella, but she would hardly respond. So, she spent her time with Billy a lot, drowning out the feeling betrayal that was becoming less and less prominent with each day. She had slowed down at her at-home exercises due to not having much of the equipment, but exactly two weeks after the Cullens left, a big box full of elastics and ankle weights was delivered to her door (she had a feeling of who bought it but wouldn’t dwell on it.) The day after Thanksgiving, she had enough of Bella’s ignoring her. She cornered her in the kitchen, slamming the newspaper onto the table.

“You need to talk to someone. It’s been _months.”_

“Shut up,” Bella muttered.

“What?”

“I said shut up. You can’t lecture about me about talking. Have you ever told _anyone_ about what happened to you?” Blake froze, her blood running cold. “No, you haven’t. You’ve ignored it. I bet you’ve also ignored them leaving too. So, don’t be a hypocrite. Just leave me alone.”

So, she did. She would leave little notes and things Bella liked out for her. They were always gone the next time she passed by, but Bella wouldn’t talk to her. It wasn’t until January after Charlie had yelled at her and she went out with friends that she came into her room.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t apologize. But, don’t shut _me_ out, Bella. You’re my sister, and I just got you back in my life. I can’t handle losing you, Bells.” Blake blinked the tears out her eyes. “I can’t. Not you.”

“I went out with a couple of friends tonight.”

“I heard; you really should continue.”

“Are you going to lecture me again?”

“Once more.” Bella rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Blake inwardly smirked. That was more than she had gotten for months. “You need to spend time with your friends. Yes, the Cullens left,” she did not miss the way Bella flinched. “But you still have other friends. Jessica, Lauren, Mike, Jacob, even. Spend time with them.”

“You don’t.”

“Your friends are still alive!” She snapped. Bella winced, but she was done. “You still have friends, Bella! So, act like it! I didn’t have friends in school. I had maybe one, but that stopped as soon as we graduated. My friends were family, and they’re not here. They came home in boxes. So, sorry if I can’t hang out with a bunch of dead people!” She took a deep breath, calming herself, wiping the tears from her face. “I didn’t mean to yell, I’m sorry.”

“No, I deserved that. That was a shit thing to say.” Blake snorted and limped over to her sister.

“Listen, Bella, you’ll be okay, but you can’t keep shutting me out. Alright? I’m here for you.” She nodded.

“You still probably need to talk to someone about what happened.” With that, Bella left her room, leaving a scowling Blake behind. She took a deep breath and side. She chuckled to herself, biting her lip. It wasn’t ideal, but it was much better compared to how she had been acting.

The next day while at Billy’s, she had vented to him about all that had happened- leaving out the vampiric details- and how she had tried to get across to Bella, but it wasn’t working.

“It’s not your responsibility,” he said, and she scowled, sitting up straight.

“What are you talking about? Of course, it is, she’s my sister.”

“Blake, she’s your sister, yes. But it is not your responsibility to care for her like you’re trying to. You can support her, you can try to help her, but don’t continue to let her damage your own self. I’ve watched you do it for months now, Charlie too. You both can’t be good for her when she’s ready to accept it if you continue to do as you have. It’s breaking you too. You’re not any good for her when she doesn’t want it. And when she does, you have to be capable of being there for her.” Blake let out a long sigh, tears filling her eyes.

“You want me to give up on her?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying let her come to you.”

“I’ve tried that. I’ve also tried going to her. Billy, she’s my sister. She’s barely been back here a year and I can’t help but feel like I’ve lost her. All because of that fucking _boy_.” She gritted her teeth. Billy nodded.

“to be fair, I told you both to stay away from them.” She snapped her head and chuckled when she saw him smirking. “Seriously, though, Blake, don’t let yourself get worn down.”

“You think I can trick her into spending more time on the Res? I think it might do her some good.” He gave her a pointed look and she sighed through her nose and raised her hands. “Fine. I promise I will not talk of Bella any more during this stay.” He nodded, satisfied, and offered her some water.

Turns out, she didn’t need to talk Bella into spending more time on the reservation. She did it all on her own. She ended up spending much of her time with Jake, so the two of them drove to Billy’s house together often. Blake offered her support to Bella in any way that she could, and they were getting closer again.

Her physical therapy with Esme had helped, and without her there, it was lacking. She couldn’t do as much as she could when she regularly went over all of the sets with Esme, and it was showing. She still kept up with what she could, but without someone there to enforce it, she didn’t do it as often or as thoroughly as she should have.

Both Charlie and Billy had tried to convince her to find someone else to help, but she had refused. There wasn’t anyone in Forks who she could go to, and she could not afford to pay for a taxi all the way to Port Angeles or Seattle.

Bella’s nightly screams became few and far between the more time she spent with Jacob, which Blake was glad for. She spoke with her sister often, helped her cook, and overall, it looked like she was doing much better.

Of course, that’s why when she came back from Billy’s one night shortly after Harry Clearwater’s untimely death, to see a note from Bella simply saying:

_‘Dad, Blake, I’m with Alice. Edward’s in trouble. You can ground me when I get back. I know it’s a bad time. So sorry. Love you both so much. Bella._

That Blake nearly wished she could spontaneously combust either herself or something else.

She and her dad were in their living room, Charlie staring intently at his cell phone while Blake was nibbling on her nails. She had no idea what kind of trouble a vampire could be in that Bella could help with. He was powerful, she was very frail and very human. It didn’t make any sense. Blake fell into a fitful sleep, nightmares plagued by all different scenarios of red-eyed vampires ripping Edward apart to kill Bella.

A hand on her shoulder forced her up and she locked her arms around it. She swung her hips up. Both she and the unknown assailant went flying to the ground. She landed with her good knee in his back, arm raised to strike the back of his neck.

“Blake! It’s me, it’s dad.” She blinked rapidly, her nightmare fading out of view. Her knee was in between Charlie’s shoulder blade, her arm holding his left one crooked and bent behind him. She gasped, scrambling back, spewing apologies. He merely sat up and winced, rolling his shoulder. “Don’t apologize. I should know better than waking you in a nightmare.”

“That doesn’t make it okay! I could have hurt you. I _did_ hurt you,” Blake whispered, back against the wall as she brought her knees up to her chest.

“it’s just a little sore. It’s fine, Blake. Truly.” She looked at him for a moment, eyes assessing the way he was holding himself before deeming he was being truthful. She sighed and nodded.

“Is she back yet?” Charlie’s face fell as he shook his head. She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug. “it’s alright. She’ll be fine,” she said.

_She has to be. Not her too._

She once again contemplated how to hurt Edward and came up with a reasonable solution, leaving only one question as to how.

Where the hell was she going to find a grenade in Forks?


	8. Chapter 8

Three days.

_Three fucking days_ was how long Blake and Charlie clung to each other, worried desperately. Charlie had used his resources at the police department and still couldn’t find her. Blake was beyond scared.

She knew she was with Alice. The Cullens had promised to never hurt her, but they had also promised to never leave but they did that. So, Blake was trying to figure out what could possibly be happening with her sister and the two Cullens.

When a car pulled up, unannounced, both Charlie and Blake jumped up. Charlie pointed back at the couch.

“I’ve got this. You stay off your leg.” He was gone before Blake could even think about arguing. Instead, she crossed her arms and sulked staring through the window. She felt her blood boil upon seeing Edward. He was the reason her little sister was in danger.

His head snapped up to look at her. She glared, hoping he could see her through the blinds. He ended up carrying Bella into the house. Blake started shouting at him in her head, hoping he could hear it, knowing he only could sometimes.

_‘You have a lot of nerve showing up here. You abandoned her in the fucking woods, break her heart. Then, your sister comes and steals her away! Because you were in trouble, apparently? What the fuck kind of trouble does a vampire even get into, hm? Especially the kind of trouble that a very fragile human teenager can help with?_

He came back down the stairs, catching Blake’s eyes looking positively awful, but she was not about to stop there, completely drowning out what her dad was saying because she knew he could hear her.

_My sister went after your dumbass to wherever the fuck you were. If she had gotten hurt, I would definitely find a way to destroy you. Do you even realize what could have happened? Where did you go? What were you trouble with? Another vampire? In that case, Bella should have gone nowhere near you. Let’s backtrack a little, do you know how much you meant to Bella? Do you know what your leaving did to her?_

An image of the lifeless Bella flashed in her head along with Bella’s midnight screams. Edward flinched, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her or what Charlie was saying.

“Don’t ever step foot in this house, again,” she barked. Charlie nodded. Edward looked between the two and nodded once.

“It was never my intention to hurt Bella,” he said before he closed the door behind him. Blake was fuming when Charlie turned to her.

“You reckon she’s already asleep?” He nodded. She opened her arms and he walked over to her. They both latched onto one another, their relief that Bella was okay was practically pouring from them.

Blake barely managed to fall asleep that night. When she did so, it was plagued by nightmares of Bella’s mangled corpse.

When she woke up, it was because Charlie was knocking on her door. She sighed, wiping her sweat-drenched hair out of her face before calling for him. He came in, closing the door behind him, and sat on the end of her bed. She pulled herself to sit up, wincing at the pain in her leg.

“I talked with Bella. She said there was some kind of misunderstanding and she had to go to L.A. because he was upset because he thought she killed herself. Did you know that she went cliff diving with the La Push kids?”

“We _are_ discussing the same Bella, right?” He snorted. “Really?”

“that’s what she said. She said that it got out of hand, and she had to explain it in person. For three days, apparently.” Blake absolutely knew this was not the truth, which she planned on getting. “I told her to stay away from him and she threatened to move out.”

“She can’t do that! We just got her back here!”

“Relax. She doesn’t want to, either. She wants me to nice to him, though.”

“Be tolerable, not nice.” They chuckled. “You off to work?” When he nodded, a dark smirk formed on her face.

“What’s that look for?”

“You’re taking me to the Cullens on your way.” He scowled.

“I am not.”

He did. She was on the porch, Charlie sending her a thumbs up. She knocked on the door. A moment later, Esme appeared a bright smile on her face. When she opened the door, Blake shooed her dad away. He stayed just in case they wouldn’t let her in.

Esme’s smile faded just a little when she saw Blake’s glare, and probably heard her teeth grinding.

“Why don’t you come in, we will explain everything.”

“you better.” She brushed past her, limping her way to the living room. They were all there, minus one. “Where the fuck is Edward?” Jasper flinched as he caught her eyes.

“He’s on his way. He didn’t want to leave Bella,” Emmett said. Blake cracked her jaw and Esme frowned.

“Good job, Emmett,” Jasper snarked.

“He’s in my house?” She hissed.

“Well-”

“Not anymore,” Edward’s voice came from behind her. She spun, hand flying up to her holster under her jacket, and yanked her gun out. He blinked in surprise, stopping his tracks.

“Will this do anything to you?”

“No, they’ll ricochet.”

“Will it hurt you?”

“No.” She cursed.

“you deserve to be hurt,” She spat. He nodded once.

“I see that.”

“What the fuck kind of trouble were you in that Bella needed to be there? I know it wasn’t as simple as he said she said and her hightailing it off to L.A. What happened and where did my sister go?”

“Blake, please sit down,” Carlisle offered. She turned to look at him and huffed before doing so.

“Put the gun away?” Esme spoke quietly. Blake rolled her eyes but snapped the safety back to place before putting it back in its place.

“Bella left with Alice and went to Italy.”

“What the fuck was in Italy.” Esme’s eyes filled with tears that would never fall. Edward came forward and put his hand on her shoulder. Blake furrowed her brow, glaring up at him.

_What did you do to make Esme cry?_

“I thought Bella was dead. I intended to follow her.” The room was silent as Blake’s mind. Her mind picked that apart slowly.

“What’s it to you?” She finally snapped, springing to her feet. “You broke her heart! You said you didn’t want her!” She yelled, angry tears filling her eyes. “You utterly broke my baby sister! And you have the audacity to say that you wanted to die because you thought she was?”

“I lied to her to protect her. I thought she would be safer without us.” He was way too calm for her liking. She felt the heightening of unease as comfort try to move the anger and she snapped her eyes to Jasper, raising a hand to point at him.

“Don’t you dare! You have no right!” Her buried feelings of betrayal sprung to the service as a tear slid down her face. Jasper furrowed his brows, casting his eyes down. Blake turned her eyes back to Edward. “Safer without vampires? Yeah, okay, I can get that. But you didn’t need to lie to her for that. You could have told her the truth. She probably wouldn’t have accepted it, but she couldn’t have followed you. You telling her that you didn’t want her was enough to shatter her! Look!” She focused on her memories of Bella the first few days after they had left, how completely broken and lifeless she was. She showed him Bella breaking down when they talked about them. She showed him her thrashing in her bed and screaming.

Edward gave a choked off sob.

“That’s enough! He already felt terrible enough as it is,” Rosalie hissed. Blake snapped her head towards her, narrowing her eyes.

“He can’t feel terrible unless he’s seen what he did. Actions have consequences, even for the high and mighty vampires,” she snapped, wiping her face of tears. She turned back to Edward. “Italy?”

“That is where the leaders of our kind reside,” Carlisle answered. She snapped her jaw shut, grinding her teeth.

“So, you thought Bella was dead, and instead of checking for yourself and paying respects, you fucked off to Italy to get your leaders to kill you?” When Edward didn’t say anything, she plopped back onto the couch. “Do you have any idea how utterly ridiculous that is."

"You don’t understand-”

“You’re damn right I don’t understand. On that note, I thought I told you to stay out of my house.” He had the decency to look sheepish at that.

“Technically, you said I wasn’t to step through the door, and I didn’t.”

“…you went through her window?” She screeched.

“She didn’t want me to leave her.”

“Again. She probably thinks you’re a dream.” He nodded and she sighed. “She thinks you’re a dream?” He nodded. “Well. I came here to find out where she went and—wait a minute. You said it was illegal for us to know about your kind!” She snapped her head to Alice. “And you took her to the ones who enforce that law?” She yelled, her heart speeding up. Jasper appeared on the couch next to her, a hand hovering over her wrist. This time, she did not try to fight the calm that was hovering around her.

“Calm down, Bella’s fine. They’re not going to hurt her,” Alice chimed in. Jasper said something too quiet for Blake to hear, but she focused on her own breathing, forcing herself to calm down. She looked around them.

“Promise? You said broken laws meant death for both parties.”

“yes, we are sure. They’re not going to…kill Bella.” She didn’t miss that conveniently placed pause and her heart seized. The calm from Jasper intensified.

“Let me calm you,” he murmured, looking at her with such regret and pain that it made her heart hurt. She nodded once and the anger and fear faded quickly. She frowned at him.

“You weren’t supposed to take that anger. I still need that,” her voice cracked. Without the anger, his broken promise to her was coming back to the surface. She felt some of her anger return, not all of it, but some of it. She turned her eyes back to Alice who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Not that I’m not glad, but why aren’t they killing Bella?”

“Because he saw what Alice saw,” Edward muttered bitterly.

“He can see the future too?”

“No, he’s gifted in that once he touches his palms to yours, he sees every thought that has ever crossed your mind,” Carlisle explained. Blake nodded once, even though that sounded utterly terrifying. Having Edward in the current thoughts was enough to make her skin crawl, but for someone to see _everything,_ that was fucking terrifying.

“So, what did he see in Alice’s mind to leave Bella alone.” Her breath caught and Jasper’s calm brushed the fear away. “Don’t tell me she actually ends up dead!”

“She won’t.”

“It’s the same thing,” Rosalie hissed. Blake paused, flicking her eyes between Rosalie and Alice.

“She’ll be like you?” Her voice was barely audible. Alice nodded. “when?”

“We’ve managed to talk her into at least graduation.” She shook her head, standing from the couch, stumbling. Jasper’s hands steadied her, but she pushed him away. Graduation was less than _three_ months away.

“Blake-”

“No! I want to go home,” she took a deep breath. “I’m going home.”

“Let me drive you,” Jasper said and she batted his hands away when he yet again tried to touch her. She shook her head, stumbling towards the door, trying to force air into her lungs. Carlisle appeared in front of her and caught her when she almost fell down the front steps.

“Will you trust me enough to run you to your house, at least?” She nodded once. He scooped her up. She fell into his chest exactly as he had instructed her many months ago. He took off and she tried to keep her tears from falling.

When they stopped at her front door, she pushed away from him. He made sure she was steady on her feet before backing off.

“You promised you wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” She hissed as she fumbled with her keys, keeping her back to him even though the danger bells were ringing in her head that she should _never_ turn her back on something as dangerous as him. She was rational by thinking that something as simple as facing a vampire wouldn’t make any difference to the danger level.

“I mean that. We will protect her.”

“She won’t much need it in three months, now will she?” She spat. She heard him sigh, and she rolled her eyes when she realized it did it for the sole purpose of making sure she knew he was frustrated.

“Blake, that’s not fair.”

“You’re going to take my sister from me!” She spun around to face him, the tears running down her face. He frowned and went to say something, but she held up her hand, keys threatening to fly into his face. “Alice took Bella somewhere she could have died. That was not protecting her. That was putting her directly into harm’s way, Carlisle! I can’t lose her. I _can’t.”_

“You won’t. We won’t stop her from contacting you. If-” he stopped. She furrowed her brows. Then she thought of what he said.

“This leader guy with the fancy telepathic palms can see _every_ thought?” He nodded once, lips pursed. “And he read all of theirs?”

“He can’t read Bella, but yes.”

“So, he knows about me, too.” This was not a question, they both knew it, but he nodded anyway. Her eyes were wide, breathing uneven.

“Blake, you need to breathe.”

“Will I be doing that in three months?” She snapped but was desperately trying to match her breaths to the exaggerated ones he was taking.

“As of right now, we have no plans of turning you, Blake. That is not something I would do to you. Edward said he never mentioned you while there.”

“What does that mean?”

“I have no idea. I’ve known him for a long time, but I don’t know. Listen, I know we’ve broken your trust, but we will be doing everything in our power to rebuild it. We won’t let anything bad happen to you if we can prevent it.” She nodded, breaths now even.

“Can you leave, now?” He gave her a long look before nodding and backing away. He gazed at her sadly before he turned and headed back into the woods. Blake turned and fled into her house, and smacked straight into Bella. They both hit the floor with a groan.

“Are you okay?” Bella asked, upon noticing Blake staring at her wide eyes, she added, “what? Is it your leg?”

“You’re going to be a vampire?” She shouted.

“Shit,” Bella muttered.


	9. Chapter 9

Blake and Bella were on Blake’s bed. Bella had just explained why she was becoming a vampire.

“So, let me get this straight; you have wanted to and planned to have been a vampire since you started dating Edward?” Bella nodded. “And what did he have to say about it?”

“He didn’t want to. He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to condemn my soul,” she rolled her eyes. Blake frowned.

“Your soul?”

“He thinks that vampires lose their souls once they’re turned. He doesn’t want to risk me mine.”

“That’s…sweet?” They both chuckled. “Why so soon, Bells? Why does it have to be so soon? Will they really come for you so soon?”

“Edward says years pass to them like days for us. So, it technically could be years before they show up to check.” Bella’s eyes widened as soon as she finished her sentence.

“Then why so soon?” Blake yelled, not caring since no one else was there to hear.

“Because I don’t want to wait. I want it. I want to be his equal, and for it to not hurt him to be around me. To not have my _blood_ be enticing to them. Remember my birthday party?” Blake bristled.

“yep. Edward threw you across the room.”

“ _That_ is not my point. They were all thirsty because I made a mistake. I don’t want to do that to them any longer than necessary.”

“You cannot call a papercut a mistake, Bells.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s either that or actual death. I don’t want that, do you? Would you rather I die?”

“Of course not, Bella! Don’t _ever_ say that!” Blake’s eyes filled with tears as she pulled her sister into a tight embrace. “Bella, you’re my sister. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Did you even think about Dad? Renée? You’re going to graduate just to fake your death?” she felt Bella wince in her arms.

“Of course, I thought about them. Once I’m turned, we can just say we’re going to college in Alaska.”

“And when you can’t come back for the holidays?”

“That I have my own life.” Blake shook her head. “besides, I let them decide.” Blake pulled back.

“explain.”

“I didn’t want to assume that they wanted me back in their lives, nevermind for forever. I let them decide.”

“Like a vote?”

“Not like a vote. A vote.” Blake stared at her sister for a long moment before sighing and standing.

“I like that you’re showing emotion and talking again. I need to get out of here. I can’t handle talk of you _dying_ right now. We’ll talk later, promise. This isn’t done. Love you.” With that, Blake grabbed her overnight bag and disappeared out the door.

She plopped onto the step and called Sam.

“Can you come pick me up? I really need a friend right now.”

“Of course. Be there soon.” They exchanged quick goodbyes and hung up.

Blake and Sam had talked often in the past couple of months. He was always in and out of Billy’s house and seeing as she spent most of her time there, they had become friends. Not close friends, but friends, nonetheless.

When he pulled up, she wasted no time in climbing in. He frowned at her.

“you’re crying.” She furrowed her brow and wiped her face. She scoffed, before rubbing her face with her sleeves. She didn’t realize she let the tears fall. “Have you been hurt? Want to talk about it?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get to Billy’s. That okay?” He nodded and they were off. Now that there was quiet, all of the feelings and thoughts hit her at once.

Betrayal from Jasper breaking his promise and leaving. Betrayal from Alice taking Bella where she was _not_ safe. The pain of knowing her sister had suffered and she couldn’t stop it. Anger at Edward for everything he did to Bella. Anger at herself for not being able to help her. Fear of the unknown law-keepers and her unknown future.

Would they make her turn into a vampire? She had never even thought of the possibility, showing how completely opposite her and Bella were. Bella had thought of it even before given the option.

Would they force her to fake her death and turn? Leave everything and everyone she has ever known behind. She would never forgive them if they did. Bella was their family; she was the one that got into the family. Blake was just an overprotective sister who got involved in the supernatural world for her very human sister. She was nothing to the Cullens. Not anymore. She thought she and Jasper were family, but it proved to not be when he broke his promise.

So caught up in her head, she didn’t notice when they pulled up to Billy’s until Sam’s hot hand touched hers, flooding her senses with the comfort and the sense of chase. She nodded and got out.

“Heads up, a couple of the boys are here. We shouldn’t be here too long, though.” She nodded and he held the door open for her. As soon as she got in, she froze at what left Paul’s mouth.

“Did that leech hurt you?” The rest of the room seemed to freeze as well.

“Paul,” Sam barked.

“Leech?” She asked.

“She’s crying and stinks of those monsters. It’s a fair thought. Besides, her sister knows so she probably does too.” Billy rolled in front of Paul and gave Blake a small smile. Blake furrowed her brows. Leech? Smell? Then her thoughts rolled through the possibilities of what that could mean. She wasn’t sure about the smell part, but she knew he wasn’t talking about actual leeches by how violently Paul called them monsters.

“You remember our legends, Blake?” Blake nodded slowly.

“Of course, I do.” Billy had told her the Quileute legends when she was small, and she was so fascinated with them from the very first moment. It was of the men who could shift into great warriors to protect the tribe from the…cold ones. “Wait, you guys know?” That got their attention back on her. Billy sighed, chin dropping to his chest.

“You Swan girls sure know how to find trouble.” If possible, she furrowed her brows even more.

“Yeah, we know. But you better tell us what you know so we don’t get you in trouble,” Sam said.

“Trouble? We can take them, Sam.” With a glare from Sam, the boys quieted.

“Vampires.” Was all she said, trying not to get the Cullens in more trouble than they already were. Billy nodded. “They’re kind are the ones from the legends?”

“The Cullens themselves are the cold-ones from one of our legends. Blake, if they’ve hurt you, we need to know. They cannot hurt a human without violating the treaty.”

“Treaty?” Upon seeing the urgency in Billy’s eyes, she rushed to add, “They haven’t hurt me. What’s this about a treaty?” He motioned to the couches and she quickly sat down, followed by the rest of the boys.

“We’re werewolves,” Quil said, causing two arms to smack him.

“They’re shapeshifters, but the form they take is a wolf.”

“The giant wolves Bella saw in the woods by any chance?” Billy smiled and nodded once. She glanced around the room. While at the Cullens, her instincts told her to run, in here, surrounded by supernatural creatures of another kind, they were telling her it was safe. It did not make her feel better about her thoughts from in the car. About what made her come over in the first place, but she wanted to learn more, so she pushed the thoughts aside.

“Our ancestors made a treaty when they found the Cullens hunting on our lands. They stay off our land, do not hurt or turn a human, and our tribe would leave them in peace.”

“You guys can take on a vampire?”

“Can and have,” Quil boasted. She raised her brows.

“If they violate the treaty, we have the right and obligation to take them down,” Sam said. “So, if they have hurt you, you need to tell us.”

“No, they haven’t hurt me. I was with them, yes, and I’m upset. That’s all.” She sniffed. “How large are the wolves?”

“Can I show her?” Embry shouted. Jacob came in through the back door and rose his brows at her. She waved.

“He one, too?” Billy nodded.

“We’re all usually shirtless, so we’re not hard to miss.” She chuckled and looked pointedly at all the boys in the room. The only one wearing something other than cutoff blue jeans was Billy, and she was very thankful she was not subjected to the sight of Billy shirtless.

Sam got her attention. “You want to see?” She nodded enthusiastically. He went out of the door.

“no way, is Sam going to phase for her?”

“I do believe that’s what he’s doing. Blake, are you going to follow?” Billy asked and Blake blinked before leaping from the couch and quickly stumbling out the back door. Sam was standing at the tree line.

“Try not to freak out like your sister,” Paul said as he joined her side.

“My sister knows?” He nodded. She huffed and crossed her arms. Even more, things she needed to discuss with her sister. She watched as Sam’s figure began to shake before erupting into a massive ball of fur.

A black and very tall, snarling wolf was now standing where Sam had been previously. Blake leaned forward in awe.

“Holy shit, that’s fucking cool.” The boys around her chuckled.

“Quil, you’re on patrol.” Said boy groaned but trudged after where Sam had turned into the woods. Blake followed Billy back into the house. The boys all said their goodbyes and left. Jacob disappeared as well.

“so. Shapeshifters are real, too.” He nodded. “That’s…surprising.”

“You’re handling this quite well.”

“I’ve already known about vampires. What’s one more supernatural species on top of that?” he chuckled as she sat on her custom spot, putting her bag on the ground.

“How’d you react to them?”

“I think the same way. I think I’m probably largely unaffected because I’ve met human monsters. Vampires at least give them a reason for it besides just madness.” Billy nodded thoughtfully.

“Enough about all that, though. Are you okay? You want to talk about what brought you here?” Blake figured telling him that the Cullens were planning on turning her sister after graduation and her own future mortality was undecided would probably count as a breach in the treaty she had just be informed of, so she chose to skim way past that.

“You were right about them being bad news, I guess.” She let out a bitter laugh, her hurt coming back and filling her eyes with tears. “I trusted them. I made Jasper promise not to leave and he fucking did.” A single tear fell down her face and she buried her face into her hands. He got closer and rubbed her back. “And they’re back and Bella is already back to acting like normal. I don’t get it. Edward _broke_ her and she’s fine? Overnight? I don’t understand. I wasn’t even dating any of them and I’m still pissed at them. I told him that I couldn’t handle it. That I couldn’t just get close to someone for them to be gone. That’s exactly what they did, though.”

“I cannot speak for Bella. That is something the two of you need to do.”

“I know. We were talking, but that didn’t go very well. She’s fine with them being back.”

“you don’t want them back?”

“I want my sister happy. That doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive them though. And if they hurt her again…you think a grenade would work against them?” Billy laughed and she joined him, picking her head up. “I’m not joking, I’ve been thinking of how to get one here.”

“Well, technically speaking, if they didn’t move it would work.” They both laughed harder.

“Thanks, Billy. Hey, does dad know?”

“About the pack? No. You can’t tell anyone.” She nodded.

“I figured as much. You know, the turning into giant wolves thing actually explains a lot.” He raised his brows and she chuckled. “About Jacob and Sam. They used to be different. Not to mention the fact that they all cut their hair. Is that a pack thing?”

“If they have long hair their wolf’s hair will be long too and get in the way.” She snorted. “What?”

“well, I just find that strange. They go from being a tall man to being an even taller _wolf_ yet their hair length affects them.” He shrugged his shoulders and she chuckled, shoving his shoulders. “I’ll get out of your hair in the morning.”

“You know you can stay as long as you want.”

“I know, but I really do need to talk to Bella. I may have stormed out on her, and she doesn’t deserve that. Especially since she’s not just a shell anymore.” Billy nodded before going to the kitchen and threw her a bottle of water. “Thanks!”

Sam took her home the next day. She was informed that Bella knew of them, but she was not to tell anyone else. She, of course, agreed. They had trusted her with the information. Sure, it was Paul’s big mouth that was the reason for them telling her, but they did so anyway. She wasn’t about to break her promise. Sam cursed as he turned onto her street. She furrowed her brows.

“What?”

“A leech is here.” She looked towards the house. Jasper was sitting on the step and was glaring at the car. Emmett was standing against the siding of the house, a frown on his face. “Will you be okay?” She nodded, not a second of hesitation. Sam didn’t look happy about it, but he allowed her to get out and took off the moment she closed the door. She turned back to the vampires in front of her door. The sense of fear faded slightly when their faces relaxed. She got closer and scowled.

“What are you two doing here? Think that ban from my house was only for Edward?” They both frowned.

“Blake, I didn’t mean to go after Bella-”

“I know _that!_ That wasn’t your fault. I’m not mad about that.” He furrowed his brows.

“You are mad.”

“Stay away from my emotions!” She hissed, trying to keep her volume down, hyperaware of how close her neighbors’ houses were. “I’m mad, yes. But not about that. I’m mad and hurt because you broke your _promise,_ Jasper.” He looked absolutely crestfallen, but she wasn’t stopping yet. “You promised me you wouldn’t leave! I trusted you! How stupid of me to do so. You were right; I should have known better.”

“Blake, we thought it was safer,” he said quietly.

“I don’t care! I at least deserved an explanation from you! I thought of you as family, Jasper. It’s clear you were just humoring me.” She went to walk into her house, but he caught her elbow, fear flowing through his cold touch. When she turned around, he dropped his hand, raising his hands palms up. She sighed when the fear eased off a bit.

“I wasn’t. I didn’t want to leave you.”

“As I said, I should have been worth enough to warrant an explanation. Not just you disappearing.”

“You have every right to be angry. So does Bella, though she isn’t really. I intend on earning your forgiveness.”

“Is that why you’re here?” She narrowed her eyes, trying to stop tears from filling her eyes again.

“No,” Emmett laughed, and she turned her attention to him. “We came to tell you that Edward got your message loud and clear. He wasn’t planning on hurting Bella, but he definitely won’t be doing it now.” She frowned.

“What message?” She asked.

“Alice had a vision. Needless to say, Edward is positively shocked and in awe about you. Carlisle wished to ask you to avoid illegally obtaining grenades, however.” Her mouth fell open at Emmett and Jasper’s amused expression. She hadn’t thought that she was determined enough to find a grenade around here.

“I-Alice saw that?” Emmett laughed loudly as Jasper smirked.

“That would definitely be a first. I, however, am on board with this plan. Eddy boy took me away from the best video game opponent I’ve ever had.” She rolled her eyes, desperately trying to fight the smile that threatened to form. She reached behind her and unlocked the door, taking a step backward, closer to the door.

“Hey now, don’t go wounding my honor,” Jasper snarked, pushing Emmett’s shoulder. When she opened the door, they both snapped their heads toward her, too quick to even pass as human.

“Alright. Message clear. Don’t buy grenades. Bye now.” She turned and walked in.

“Esme wants you to know that her therapy offer still stands.” She spun on her heel and gave a dark smile.

“No, I’m mad at all of you.” With that, she slammed the door in their faces. She sighed and locked it. She went into her room, screeching when Bella turned towards her. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Edward told me you were home. Figured you’d want to talk here as opposed to the living room.”

“Edward come through the window again?” Bella blushed.

“He’s gone now. Hunting.”

“Good, because you’re going to tell me about Italy and why the fuck you aren’t furious with Edward right this minute.” Bella nodded. Blake collapsed onto her bed, pulling her leg up, propping it up on a stack of pillows.

“I’m not mad at him, because I understand why he did it. I’m not happy with him, I’m upset. But I also don’t want to waste this. I’ve spent so long without him and I don’t want to do it again.” Blake sighed but nodded. “I know you think it was simply a breakup, but it felt like so much more than that. It felt like a piece of my heart was gone.” Blake nodded once. She had a few partners over the years, but none of them were as substantial as that, so she couldn’t relate to it.

“So…Italy?”

“Scary. There were so many, and before that, I thought Edward would have been exposed and killed.” Blake shot her a confused look. “They didn’t want to kill him because of his gift, they would have rather he join them. So, he wanted to expose himself so they would have to kill him. Anyway, not the point. The point is I thought I was about to truly lose him. And then two vampires came, trying to get us to come with them, but Edward was about to fight them. Then Alice showed up, and they turned children!” Blake frowned.

“Like, small children?”

“I don’t know. They’re twins, Edward said. Jane was the one that came out to us. She looks so young, not sure exactly how young, but she’s young. And then I had to drop into a hole-Alice caught me, don’t worry- and then into the castle. That part was pretty cool, I guess, it’s a castle and I’ve never been to one. The three leaders look different than normal vampires. And his skin felt different too. But he couldn’t see my thoughts either, so he wanted Jane to use her gift on me. Edward lunged at her. She was torturing him, without even doing anything. Alice held me back from interfering.”

“You tried to interfere with vampires?” She hissed. Blake sent her a sheepish smile.

“They were torturing him. That’s not the important part here. Her gift didn’t work on me either. Then, they offered Edward a spot in their coven again, and then Alice, and then _me.”_

“ _What_?” Blake hissed.

“Something about my potential and then when we were leaving.” Bella cut off, a full-body shiver taking over her.

“What? What happened?”

“They were bringing in tourists,” Blake’s very being filled with rage at seeing Bella’s eyes fill with tears. “Their screams were so loud.” Blake instantly reached over and pulled Bella to her, hugging her tight as her frame shook with sobs.

“it’s alright, I’ve got you, Bells. I’ve got you.”

When her sobs quieted, she pulled away fast causing Blake’s brows to furrow.

“They know about you! Does that mean you have to turn to?” Blake’s expression hardened immediately, and Bella frowned. “You don’t want to?”

“Bella, I’ve never thought about it! Nor do I plan to.”

“Will you resume therapy with Esme, at least?”

“No. I don’t want anything to do with them. If you want to welcome them back with welcoming arms, fine. If you want to act like when they left that you didn’t break completely, then go ahead. I know what they did to you, and I’m not planning to forgive them for it.”

“It’s about more than just what they did to me, isn’t it?” Bella asked. Blake glared at her hands in her lap. “It’s about them leaving you too. Why didn’t you tell me you were upset?” Blake laughed humorlessly.

“really? Bella, my little sister needed me, there was no time for me to be upset about it. You had way more grounds to be upset than me. You meant something to them, I didn’t.”

“You can’t really believe that.”

“I do.”


	10. Chapter 10

In the following weeks that followed, Blake had the overwhelming _pleasure_ of nearly having a heart attack when Jacob Black brought a motorcycle to them when Bella had yet to come home that had apparently belonged to Bella.

Charlie was pissed about that.

He even yelled at Blake about it, which caused a completely different argument about how Blake could not be held responsible for Bella’s options and ultimately ended with her not talking to her dad for about a week before they both apologized for yelling.

Blake and Bella however, spent a lot of time together. Besides informing Bella that she knew of the pack, they did not talk about the supernatural, save for Bella trying to convince Blake to go to the Cullens house a couple of times. Currently, they were in the living room watching a movie eating ice cream out of the carton.

Charlie came through the door and smiled at them and they both waved.

“Hey dad,” Blake said smiling cheekily as he raised a brow at the ice cream. “Not a word. We haven’t spilled any.” He raised his hands, chuckling.

“I didn’t say anything. However, that’s got to go off, the game’s on.” Blake groaned but tossed him the remote.

“fine, take all the fun away,” she jabbed. He rolled his eyes but collapsed into his chair. “Rough day?”

“Not too bad, but more intense than usual.”

“Sorry, I’m off to bed,” Bella muttered and took the ice cream with her. Blake huffed and threw a pillow after her.

“I was eating that!” she turned around and stuck out her tongue before continuing up the stairs. Blake laughed and leaned over to look at her dad. “Seriously, you okay?”

“Just glad that my two girls are smiling.” She rolled her eyes and flicked his arm. “What was that for?”

“Being you.” He snorted. “But, yeah, me too. I’m glad she’s happy again. Even if it is because of the fuckward.” She desperately hoped that he heard that, knowing he was probably in her sister’s room.

“Fuckward?” her dad shook his head. “I need a beer.” He went to get up, but she reached over and pushed him back.

“I’ll get us both one. She stole my ice cream, only fair that I have a beer in return.” He chuckled but nodded. She got up and walked to the kitchen. Her leg wasn’t really hurting her today, but she had learned her lesson for pushing it, she had taken it easy all day, reveling in the fact that it was just nearly painless. When she returned, she stayed long enough to finish her bottle before going to bed herself.

This time, the three men were in the study. Marcus looked utterly bored, staring at the desk that Aro was sitting behind. The blond was glaring furiously at Aro.

Aro.

She smiled, still happy that she finally had a name for her illusion her brain liked to throw her in.

“There’s another?” The blond growled.

“yes, quite. A sister. I don’t know much about her, the memories of her were…blurred,” Aro said, his usually happy face pulled into a frown.

“They’ve fooled you?” The blond growled. Blake shivered, the sound not sounding anything close to human. But she wasn’t scared. Never of them.

“No, I do not believe so. They are not that skilled, but it is peculiar. I cannot recall any other instance of this happening.”

“What will you do?” Marcus asked, but looked no more interested than when the dream started. Aro’s smile returned, eyes widening slightly.

“I’ll write a letter.”

She woke up feeling refreshed, and a feeling of anticipation. She shook it off and got up and freshened up for the day, getting out her exercise equipment. She began working, pushing through her discomfort and pain.

When she was taking a break for water and food, the phone rang. Seeing as she was the only one home (her dad was at work while Bella was at the Cullen’s like she was almost every day since she had stopped being grounded) she frowned. No one ever called for her. When she answered, it was indeed Bella.

“Don’t freak out.”

“It doesn’t make me want to freak out less when that’s the first thing you say, Bells,” Blake sighed, pressing her forehead against the wall.

“Nothing’s wrong, you just need to come over.” Blake snapped her head up, eyes narrowing even though Bella couldn’t see her.

“I’ve told you no countless times.”

“This is important, Blake. Like, really important and it’s about you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Blake asked, exasperated.

“You’ve got to come. You don’t have to stay any longer than necessary.” Bella almost sounded pleading. Blake huffed closing her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.

“Fine.”

“Good, Emmett and Jasper should be there right about now.” Before Blake could even respond the call disconnected. She scoffed as she looked out of the kitchen window to see the jeep pulling up. She put some shoes on and grabbed her jacket, throwing it on despite her still hot from her exercises. She always felt better with her arms covered.

She walked outside to see Emmett sending her a big smile. She turned and locked the door behind her, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she limped across the lawn. She climbed into the passenger seat. Jasper was sitting behind her and she could practically feel his stare burning holes into the headrest.

“So, what’s this about?” The smile dropped from Emmett’s face as he looked behind her at Jasper.

“It’ll be better to let Carlisle tell you.” Her heart plummeted.

“That does not make me feel better,” She muttered turning to stare out at the passing trees as she felt Jasper’s unnatural calm poke at her. She welcomed it if nothing else than to stop her heart from trying to escape her chest.

They drove in relative silence before Emmett sighed loudly causing her to look at him with a brow raised. He didn’t need to breathe so it’s not like he just took a large breath on accident.

“You’re not going to talk to us at all? After all we’ve been through?” He asked, turning to look at her, and she had to remind herself that he didn’t need to be paying attention to drive safely.

“Yeah, all we’ve been through. Video games, heart to hearts, abandonment. Fun times,” She bit out, turning back to the trees.

“Yes, okay, we should have told you but-”

“Blake, if I had come to see you to tell you, I would not have been able to leave.” Jasper’s voice was deeper than usual. She flipped around in her seat, tilting her head so she could look at him. His eyes were dark, purple circles underneath them. “You _are_ family to me, and if I had to tell you goodbye, I wouldn’t have left.”

She wanted to say something, she really did, his misery-stricken face was tearing at all of her feelings and she knew he wasn’t manipulating them. Any time he did she was hyper-aware of it. But she couldn’t figure out how to respond to him.

She was saved by them turning onto the road that would take them to their house. When they parked, she looked back at Jasper.

“Carry me?” She whispered. His face lightened a little and he nodded, opening her door for her and scooping her up. His calm battled the immediate urge to run that took over, but like usual, it didn’t go away, only faded.

Instead of the living room, Jasper carrier her into the dining room, a room she had never been in before. It had a chandelier which was very _Cullen_ of them, and a very large and occupied table in it. Bella was sitting next to Edward, Emmett taking the place next to him. Rosalie was standing, arms crossed. Esme sat next to Carlisle, who was at the head of the table, a very grim expression on his face. Blake realized with a pit of dread, that they all were, but were still relatively calm, except for Bella.

Bella looked fucking terrified.

Jasper placed Blake in a seat by Carlisle and sat next to her. Alice came into the room, standing in the doorway her face contorted in a displeased expression.

“Why, exactly, am I here?” She asked her voice even despite her overwhelming sense of dread at seeing the vampires all looking worried, except Carlisle and Rosalie. Carlisle was calm, despite his grim expression, which wouldn’t make any sense on anyone but him. Rosalie had a strange mix of smugness and fury. 

“Remember how I told you I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with you regarding to you having knowledge of our kind?” That ball of dread intensified, heart rate picking up that she was sure every vampire in the room took notice of immediately.

“mmhm.” Her response was a higher octave than usual. Jasper’s hand landed on her elbow, the fear downgrading back to its usual hum the accompanied her being around them. Carlisle licked his lips, taking a deep breath, which did nothing but fuel her trepidation. He lifted his hands, a pristine white envelope in them. He put it on the table and slid it over to her. She looked at it, brows creased.

The envelope looked beyond expensive. It had a texture that her years of being an artist had ingrained in her that it would never be something she would buy. On it, in very elegant black calligraphy was her name. She looked up to Carlisle who had another, already opened envelope in his hand.

“I received one as well, they were both in one larger envelope. Read it.” She turned the envelope over slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had figured out this was from their leaders, no doubt about it. From how Carlisle mentioned her undecided fate to how everyone was looking. She blinked in shock as her fear yet again faded away. She sent a thankful smile at Jasper, and then looked back at the wax seal. It was a dark red, a fancy ‘V’ pressed into it with detailing around it. The corners of her lips turned up at the thought that it stood for vampire, but very sincerely doubted it.

She carefully plucked the seal, careful not tear it. It was very beautiful, and she never had a letter sealed with a wax seal before.

A letter. Her dream came back to focus but pushed it aside. It was just a dream and a coincidence.

She delicately pulled the paper from inside and gingerly put the envelope down. No one was making a sound, which she knew wasn’t strange for her or the Cullens, but Bella usually hated awkward silences, and the tension in the air was enough to cut.

As she unfolded the yet again, expensive paper, her eyes traced over every detail. The whole paper was outlined in gold detailing, and when she moved the paper in her hands, she realized it was gold leaf, not just fancy detailing. She was appalled at how much the one letter must have cost, especially as her fingers ran across the obviously high-quality paper.

Edward snorted, the tension in the air dissipating slightly as every eye turned to him.

“Sorry, I think it’s just funny that you are admiring the quality of the paper not even thirty seconds after coming to the conclusion that it holds your future.” She blushed slightly and frowned at him.

“it’s good paper!” The room chuckled, though they were slightly forced, and her embarrassment faded quickly. She looked back at the letter. It was handwritten, no doubt about it, outstanding penmanship, probably written with a dip or fountain pen, was perfectly straight across the paper. Pitch black ink across the slightly off-white paper. At the bottom, there was another seal, but she figured she probably focus on the words and not anymore of the cool stuff about it. She began reading silently.

_Dear Ms. Blake Swan,_

_It has been brought to my attention that you have been exposed to the world of vampires. I’m sure that was quite a shock to you, though I am unable to know for certain. Young Edward’s memories of you are lacking. I refrained from making a decision about you during his and your sister’s previous visit as I did not have all of the facts._

_You are much of a mystery to Edward’s ability, as he has told you, much like your sister. Because of this, I know very little about what to make of your situation. Even talented Alice has not been actively seeking your future, and thus I have very little to go off._

_Therefore, to retrieve all possible facts concerning your situation, you shall come to Volterra. My old friend, Carlisle, as head of the coven, will, of course, escort you to ensure you arrive safely. I have written him a separate letter giving him more details on the technicalities._

_You must be frightened, young one, and it is not without reason. Rest assured, no decision of your life will be made until we have collected all the information on your peculiar situation._

_We shall meet soon,_

_A. Volturi_

Blake laid the letter down with shaky hands as she looked up at Carlisle. She was sure her heart had stopped upon reading Volterra.

Volturi.

The name seemed beyond familiar, but she was sure she had never heard it before. But it felt safe, and that scared her because they were obviously the murderous vampire law-keepers.

“We haven’t told you they were called the Volturi?” Edward spoked causing Carlisle to sigh.

“That was a mistake on my part, Blake. I should have told you that.”

“What have you been calling them, then?” Emmett asked, cracking an obviously forced smile. The tension in the air was a little lighter, especially as she felt Jasper’s calm laying over her.

“Uh, law-makers, vampire police.” He snorted. She turned back to Carlisle whose face immediately fell back into professional. “So…we have to go to Italy.” He nodded. She took a deep breath. “ _fuck.”_

“I will do my best to make sure nothing happens to you, Blake. I do believe I still have influence with them as I was once one of them.” She nodded once. She was scared. She was okay with enlisting, fighting other men because she still had a _chance_ against them. But this- this was walking into the heart of the vampire world as a human. She had no chance. There was no even playing field.

“By the way, Blake, now might not be the best time, but I can assure you, I did not need that threat to convince me to not hurt Bella. I can’t do it again.” She cracked a smile while Bella looked between the two.

“You threatened him?”

“No, but I apparently had made a decision too.” The room laughed, the atmosphere relaxing.

“That’s her saying lightly that she made a decision that triggered a vision from Alice,” Emmett laughed. Bella looked even more confused. “A grenade.” The pure horror on Bella’s face was enough for Blake to bust out laughing, quickly followed by the others in the room, besides Rosalie, Bella, Edward, and Esme. Carlisle was only smiling, not laughing, his eyes dark.

“BLAKE!” Bella shrieked, the vampires cringing slightly.

“What? I hadn’t even found a place to buy it. It was just a thought,” Blake defended halfheartedly.

“Pretty strong thought to have Alice have a vision of it,” Emmett added. She glared at him. The room quieted, smiles fading away.

“I told you something like this would happen! She’s going to be killed the moment she steps foot in the castle!” Rosalie hissed. Blake’s skin crawled while Bella’s eyes widened looking at her.

“Rose! That’s enough,” Esme said.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen once we’re there,” Carlisle added, sending his blonde daughter a sharp look. Almost at once, all of the Cullens turned to Alice. Blake and Bella turned after. Alice slowly shook her head.

“I haven’t been able to see anything about it. I keep trying, but I keep getting fuzzy images. It’s frustrating.” _That_ also didn’t make Blake feel any better. Carlisle’s hand landed on hers. Her heart seized at his touch but did not try to shake him off. She could be angry at them later, right now she wanted the comfort.

“It may not mean much to you right now, so soon after a broken promise,” She felt Jasper wince. “But I give you my word I will do all that is in my power to make sure you will be fine.” She nodded a couple of times, everything starting to get numb like how she was before her missions. She almost gave in to it. Almost.

If she did though, that meant not dealing with everything at the moment, and she wasn’t prepared to deal with it later.

When she sighed, it wavered and she swallowed, looking up at Bella. She steeled herself. She could be weak later, for now, she needed to make sure she seemed fine for her baby sister. She turned back to Carlisle.

“It says you had the technicalities? Does that mean you have when we need to go?” She asked. He nodded slowly, gazing at her softly.

“Immediately.” Her eyes widened. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning. Give you time to tell Charlie something and to pack a small bag. If all goes well, we’ll be back before Tuesday night.” It was Friday. So, that did make her feel a little better, considering how long it would take to get there and come back. She nodded.

“Okay.” She could tell that’s not the response he was expecting, but it was the one she had. She turned back to Jasper and raised a brow. He got up and picked her up.

“I’ll take her home. Give her time to pack and come up with something to tell Charlie.” Carlisle stood and Jasper stopped walking.

“I’m coming with you. There are some things Blake and I need to discuss.” With that, the three of them left, but not before Blake scooped up the letter and envelope. The car ride was silent, but Jasper’s calm surrounding her showed her that he knew exactly what she was feeling.

Jasper carried her into her house, despite her saying she could walk there perfectly fine. She had the sneaking suspicion that it was making him feel a little better to hold her, judging by how lighter his eyes were. He carried her into her room, and she groaned. Her room was a mess.

Exercise equipment was spread throughout the room, paint on her bed and easel propped up haphazardly against the wall.

“How do you walk in here?” He asked as he set her down. Carlisle was standing in the doorway.

“Very carefully. Carlisle, you might as well come in.” He took a step in. He looked at the elastic exercise bands and the corner of his lips turned up.

“I see they found you well,” he said, and she snorted.

“I knew they were from one of you.” They went back to silence and she drummed her fingers against her knee. “So…” He looked at Jasper, who in turn, looked at her. She nodded. Jasper disappeared out the door.

“I know this must be frightening, but we cannot ignore the Volturi. We are allowed to bring one other member of the family-”

“Jasper,” She said immediately. He chuckled and nodded.

“I figured as much. It’s strange, in all the years I’ve known him, he’s never been able to be so close to people before, nor has he gotten attached to someone so quick. I have a theory, but that will have to wait until we’re in Volterra.” She perked up.

“What kind of theory?” He gave her an amused look and she sighed. “Right. Waiting until we walk into the vampire police’s lion den.” He chuckled and she smirked. “I’m still mad at you. All of you.”

“It’s deserved.” She held up a hand.

“But, I’m going to look past it until we get back. Okay? That means you have to get me back.” He nodded, face stern.

“Everything in my power,” he reminded. She nodded.

“Will Jasper be okay on a plane?”

“As long as he sticks close to you, yes, he should be fine. He did tell you that his thirst subsides around you, right?” She nodded. “Would you like for me to bring him back in here?”

“No, it’s fine. So, you’ll pick me up in the morning?”

“I would have liked for you to stay the night, but I understand if you don’t want to do that. Picking you up in the morning will work as well. I’ll have one of us text you the time of the flight as soon as we book it.” She nodded. “Do you need help finding something to tell Charlie?” She shook her head.

“No, I got it. I don’t like lying to him, but I know I need to do it.” With that, she shooed him out of her house. She collapsed back onto her bed and cried, clutching her pillow to her chest to ease the fear of going to the home of human-eaters that she didn't stand a chance against.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volturi time!

She had gotten a text from an unknown number that the flight would leave at five in the morning, the new number for Alice. She groaned at that, wiping her tears from her face. She sat up, picking her backpack up off the floor. She dumped it out, throwing the dirty clothes that were in it into the hamper across her room. She shoved her sketchbooks back into it, before heading across the room and throwing open her dresser. She shoved random articles of clothing into the bag, ending up with one outfit to change into.

She went around her room, cleaning the stuff off her floor, cleaning up her paints and art supplies. Her leg was burning, but she needed the distraction that cleaning always brought. It was something her mind could focus on without having to think. Thinking only seemed to bring bad thoughts at the moment.

Mostly thoughts of her death that was probably going to happen.

Bella came home before Charlie. She and Blake ended up hugging on the couch, hugging onto each other for dear life. Bella tried to apologize, but Blake was having none of it. She just wanted to hold her sister.

Their dad came home, and Bella went upstairs.

Blake stood up and intercepted him on his way to his chair, instead pulling him down onto the couch. She sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He frowned but wrapped an arm around her.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. She shook her head, swallowing the tears that threatened to form.

“Nothing. I just want you to know that I love you and have appreciated everything that you have ever done for me.”

“Love you too, Blake.” They sat in silence as he turned on the tv. Blake knew he knew something was up, but also knew he would wait a bit before bringing it up. She was right, of course. About an hour past before he finally sighed, turning the tv down. “Tell me.” She took a deep breath.

“I’m going out of town for a few days. With Dr. Cullen.” She braced herself for his anger, and she wasn’t an empath, but she could practically feel it pouring off of him as she looked up. A vein was sticking out on his forehead.

_“What?”_

“He found a surgeon in Italy. It’s a long shot, but they might be able to fix my leg.” She hated lying to him, but his face went from angry to shocked immediately. She knew he hadn’t seen through the lie.

“really?” She shrugged.

“Yeah, he apparently does wonders in neurosurgery. Of course, my damage is pretty extensive, but I figure it’s worth a shot. It’s only a consultation, shouldn’t be gone long at all.” She wondered if when this _A. Volturi_ read her thoughts and figured out that she promised she’d back if he would actually kill her or not, knowing that it would raise suspicion. She internally rolled her eyes, if they wanted her dead, nothing would stop that. And the fact that thinking of him killing her didn’t seem right, despite her knowledge from the Cullens that he wouldn’t hesitate.

“When are you leaving?”

“Our flight leaves at five in the morning.” His eyebrows shot up, arm squeezing her tight.

“So soon?”

“Yeah, it’s a very narrow time window. Have to leave as soon as possible.” He nodded once, and she squeezed him. His eyes narrowed.

“And you’re okay going with him? Dr. Cullen?”

“They’re friends and he is the reason that I even have the opportunity. It only makes sense. It’ll be fine.” She hopes. He nodded, hugging her tight.

“Be careful. I hope it works out for the best.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Yeah, dad, me too.” She really hoped it did. She didn’t survive the battlefield just to get sucked dry by a bunch of mutant bats. She paled as soon as that thought crossed her mind. Oops. He was going to see that thought. Probably not a great thing. She made sure to tell her dad she loved him several more times before she went to her room to try to sleep. She didn’t have much success before her alarm was going off and she grudgingly pulled herself out of bed and into the shower. Once she got out and dressed, she realized she was going to _Italy_ and it was going to be hot and she was wearing sleeves and pants. It wouldn’t be the worst heat she’d ever been in, but that didn’t mean she was going to like it. But she definitely wouldn’t be changing. She felt more secure in sleeves.

Blake nearly jumped out of her skin when Bella was standing outside of the bathroom. She rushed her, hugging her tight. She huffed but held her just as tight.

“You should be asleep.”

“I was, Edward woke me up, said you were going to be leaving soon.” She nodded, holding her little sister close. “Please don’t die.” She huffed a quiet laugh, trying not to wake her dad.

“I will be doing my best. Promise. Love you, Bells.” Bella nodded and moved back, Edward appearing at her side, gazing at Blake intently. She glared at him before sighing.

_If they kill me, take care of her. If you hurt her again, I will find out how to haunt your ass._

The corners of his lips turned up as he nodded. She sighed and went back to her room, grabbing her backpack, giving the room another look. Her instincts weren’t telling her anything about what was about to happen, and it was making her paranoid. She had always relied on them, with them not telling her anything, it did not make her optimistic. She wrote her a dad a little note on the counter before walking out of the door. Carlisle’s car was in her driveway. She walked towards the car and the passenger door opened, Jasper stepping out and offering her the seat. She gave him a small smile, pushing away her hurt at him. She needed him.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“Giving up the seat or going with you?”

“Yes.” They both shared a tense smile.

“I don’t mind at all. I meant it; I still mean it: you’re family.” She swallowed back her bitter remark and sat in the car. The car ride to the airport was silent. Jasper’s energy was smothering in the car, and she couldn’t tell if she’d rather didn’t use it or not.

The plane took off at precisely five and began the sixteen-hour flight. She knew she should probably sleep, but she was far too anxious to even think about sleep. Jasper was tense in the seat beside her, but he sent her a reassuring look when she raised a brow at him. She had the window seat and Jasper was between her and Carlisle. She half-expected them to book first-class and was kind of relieved when they didn’t.

Instead of trying to sleep, Blake fished her sketchbook out of her bag, not her dream sketchbook, the other one, and began drawing her dad. She wanted to at least do something for him, even if he didn’t see it. It took her several hours before she was done, and when she did, Carlisle got her attention.

“You should try to sleep.” She sent him a baffled look.

“Are you kidding? I can’t-” She cut off as her anxiety faded, instead replaced with overwhelming exhaustion. She managed an unheated glare at Jasper before her eyes closed and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

When she woke up, it was to Jasper gently shaking her. She glared at him through sleepy eyes.

“We’ve landed.” Immediately her exhaustion vanished as she sat up, grabbing her bag and shuffling out. They led her to a car. It was six in the morning in Florence, and they had to drive a little over an hour to get to Volterra. She curled up in a ball, her injured leg extended, though. She turned on the radio of the rental, enjoying the foreign music.

“Do you think they’ll kill me?” She finally asked. Carlisle turned to her.

“I surely hope not. Remember, they are not villains.” That’s not what she asked, but she appreciated him trying to make her feel safer. Normally, she’d want an honest answer, but right now, as she was being driven towards pure danger, she wanted to be comforted.

“You know, I’m mostly mad that no one told me you were leaving. I deserved at least that much; I think.” Carlisle nodded.

“In hindsight, we very well should have. Bella told us how you think you didn’t mean anything to us, and that is very much not true. You mean something to us, Blake.”

“Blake, I’ve already told you, and I’ll keep telling you, you are family to me,” Jasper spoke. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked out of the window.

“I don’t want to be mad at you if they kill me.” Silence followed her words save for her occasional sniffle. She was sure they were talking to each other, but couldn’t be certain, and she didn’t want to turn to check. “I have a thing about that. Before every mission I had, I would make sure I was on good terms with everyone, just in case.” She took a deep breath and turned her head. Carlisle turned to look at her, Jasper sliding into view. “What you guys did was not okay. You had good intentions. I had to deal with months of seeing my sister so depressed that I thought she was dying. Her screams at night. She was lifeless when you guys left. That’s the reason why I’m mad at all of you.” She turned to Jasper. “I’m mad at you because you broke your promise.” He nodded once, face grim.

“Having said that, I recognize that wasn’t your intention. You were genuinely trying to be helpful. That’s great. So, I’ll forgive you.” Jasper smiled. “However, if I do make it out of here, I will be needing that trust rebuilt.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything else, ma’am.” She rolled her eyes but allowed a smirk. She turned back to Carlisle who was smiling as he looked out onto the road. “I’ve never felt like someone was family to me so soon after I met them.” She turned back to Jasper. “You truly feel like family in the truest sense of the word to me, and I am so sorry that I broke that promise to you. You didn’t deserve that.” She nodded, holding out her hand.

“Truce?” he chuckled and accepted her hand. The terrifying image of him as a confederate soldier covered in blood to match his eyes flashing before her before fading away just as fast.

“Truce.” She smiled and nodded, relaxing back in her seat as much as she could, considering the circumstances. Her thoughts started going back to everyone at home; everyone she might be leaving behind if this meeting doesn’t go well. She swallowed back her sobs as she had the unfortunate picture of Charlie, Bella, and Billy standing in front of a gravestone with her name on it.

She froze.

Billy.

“I didn’t tell Billy!”

“What?” Carlisle asked.

“I didn’t tell Billy _anything._ That’s not fucking good. He’s like a second dad, and I didn’t even tell him bye? What the fuck is wrong with me?” She yelled, tears falling down her face as guilt consumed her.

“Blake?” Carlisle spoke.

“I should’ve gone seen him! The last memories he had of me should not have bee some informative lecture of the supernatural. How could I-”

“Blake!” She turned her head to Jasper. “Calm down. It is more than likely that you will be returning home. You’ll see him again.”

“No, don’t do that. I can’t handle anymore broken promises from you.” He cringed but kept his gaze steady on her.

“Don’t think of it as a promise then. Just think of it as a reminder, if it’ll make you feel better.” She nodded shakily, wiping her tears off of her face.

“I can never regret protecting my sister, but fuck, if I knew supernatural was involved I would have just like, psychoanalyzed you all instead of pushing it.” They smiled a bit at that. “But dammit, I did exactly to Billy as you did to me.”

“No, because you have every intention of going back. We didn’t. What did you tell Charlie?”

“That there was a surgeon that you knew that might be able to fix my leg,” Blake murmured, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeves as she cut the air conditioning on. “That this was a consultation visit, so I hope they don’t kill me, that’d put you in a more awkward position with my dad if you come back without me.” She looked back out of the tinted windows at the landscape.

“I’ve never been to Italy before. It’s beautiful,” She murmured. She expected that she would begin to feel terror the closer they got to Volterra.

She wasn’t wrong, but she also had a feeling she couldn’t name. It felt…familiar. But also more. She wasn’t sure how to describe it, and by the strange look Jasper was giving her, she figured he was almost as confused as she was. She tried not to dwell on it, but the closer she got, the stronger and stranger the feeling was.

By the time they were pulling into the city, her instincts were telling her to get the fuck out of the city and fast. Even as she felt Jasper’s calm try to affect her, the terror was not leaving her alone. Carlisle coached her through breathing exercises as she tried to calm her racing heart.

“Guys, what if I pass out? What happens then?” She asked, fingers digging into the seats. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck as she looked back at Jasper.

“You’re not going to pass out, just continue with Carlisle’s instructions.” She glared at him.

“That’s easy for you to say,” She snapped.

“I can feel what you feel, remember?” She scowled but continued with Carlisle’s breathing exercises. She stared in awe as they pulled through the streets of Volterra. It was beautiful. If she wasn’t less than ten minutes from figuring out if she was going to live or die, she would have appreciated it much more. Carlisle went quiet as he drove slowly towards an area that had a ramp leading underground. She snapped her head to Jasper, who wrapped a hand around hers. He squeezed, and she got the silent message, _this was it._

She nearly laughed when she realized they were in an underground parking garage. She didn’t even think of that. She obviously knew they lived in a castle, Bella had told her, but still. When she got out, she grabbed her bag, if for nothing else than to have something against her back. It wouldn’t do anything, but it made her feel slightly better at the onslaught of pure fear that attacked her when she opened the door. She threw her backpack on.

Jasper was standing so close next to her, his coldness was seeping into her skin. She shivered. Two people wearing deep smoky grey cloaks were standing in front of the car, and she knew they weren’t there a second ago. Her skin crawled. There was just enough shadow that she couldn’t see any of their facial features beneath the hoods.

She, herself, was not short, but the one on the left made her feel like a child with how tall he was. She figured he must be close to seven feet tall. The other one was several inches shorter than him. They were conversing with Carlisle, judging by how Carlisle’s lips were barely moving. The two vampires in front of her were giving off very bad vibes, worst than Jasper’s were when she first met him and was graced by the image of him in a confederate uniform.

She knew they were insanely dangerous, and it was taking everything in her power to not try to run or fight. Either of them would probably get her killed before she even got to do what she came here to do, even if she wasn’t exactly sure what that was.

The shorter of the two lifted their head, showing a glint of a predatory smile that made her heart race.

“At least this one has the decency to recognize us for what we are,” he murmured before the two turned and started walking. Carlisle followed while Blake and Jasper followed after him. She could already tell this was going to be a far walk, and she was not going to be carried around all these vampires, so she grit her teeth and pushed past the fiery pain spreading throughout her leg and back as they started up the incline.

Blake was ready to collapse by the time they made it out of the elevator and into a lobby. She raised her eyebrows at the elevator. With the way Bella spoke, she didn’t expect it to be so…modern. She frowned at a very human-looking receptionist who greeted them as they walked by her. Jasper nudged her to keep walking.

The more they walked, the stronger that strange feeling got. She still couldn’t place it. She turned her head towards Jasper, who was looking at her with his brows furrowed, a grim expression on his face. She tightened her grip on his hand and he returned the favor, the ever-present calm trying to attach itself to her but failing.

When they got to a set of grand doors, they opened. There were several vampires standing around and at once, they all turned to them. Blake’s pulse skyrocketed at the red eyes staring at her. Jasper told her to stay and walked a few steps forward with Carlisle. She flicked her eyes at the two that had escorted them in, then to two small vampires in almost black cloaks which must have been the children Bella had mentioned. She looked up to the one in the middle of the room who Carlisle went to greet.

At once, her breath left her lungs, her heart skipped a beat. All fear faded away. She felt her reality crash down around her as she fell to her knees, cracking them against the stone floor. Everything that she had ever thought to be true crumbled as his smile faded as his eyes met hers.

“ _Aro?”_


	12. Chapter 12

No. No. No. NO!

The room, which had previously been airy with barely audible chatter, went completely silent, the tension in the room thick, which only amplified when Carlisle turned to speak.

“When did you learn his name?” She shook her head at the two pairs of golden eyes that turned to her, obviously concerned.

Her eyes filled with tears as she couldn’t tear her eyes from him.

Blake was staring at who was obviously _her_ Aro with wide eyes. His head tilted to the side, mouth opened slightly, light reflecting off of his teeth. This couldn’t be real. If this was real, it meant that her dreams were real to some extent. That the men from her dreams weren’t _hers._ Her solace, her safety, her _constant_ wasn’t even hers. He was real-

Wait.

If he was…She turned her head up seeing him looking exactly as she has seen him for years, sitting on his chair, looking off to the side, an utterly bored expression on his face.

“Marcus,” her voice broke. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling from her face as she tried. If possible, the tension and danger in the room skyrocketed. Her thoughts were blank as everything she thought she knew, everything about her safe place, crumbled. 

A couple of things happened at once. Jasper crouched beside her as the escorts got closer. Aro blurred towards her, only to stop wide-eyed a step away from her, frozen like a statue. Blake was full-on sobbing at this point, and took her eyes away from him, casting them to the floor, the floor that she _recognized._

“Blake?” She looked up to Carlisle, seeing him looking at her, but all of the other vampires in the room staring at Marcus with shock. He stood and walked to meet Aro in the middle of the room. Blake shook her head at Carlisle, collapsing in on herself.

Cold hands caught her before she hit her head. These hands were colder than any of the other ones that had ever touched her. She was sat back onto her leg and she winced at the pain that swarmed her body as she picked her head up to realize that Aro had her by her shoulders. She stared at him dumbly, sobs silencing.

He looked exactly like he did in all of her dreams. He raised one perfect brow; eyes wide.

“Well, this was certainly not what I was expecting upon our first meeting, young one.” Her heart seized. This was the first time any of them had ever spoken directly to her, and the sentence seemed to have more weight than she realized. His hand moved from her shoulder to her hand which was still clutching her thighs. His eyes never left hers, and as she flickered her eyes between both of his, she noticed that they were darker than she had ever seen him when he wasn’t furious at something. He didn’t look furious. He looked intrigued for lack of a better word.

Blake noticed way too late that he was learning everything about her through their contact. She winced as her pain flared seemingly reaching up to her neck. She vaguely wondered what he would say about her dreams.

More importantly, she wanted to wake up, she would rather the men from her dreams not be real. They meant everything to her. If they were real, if they were _Volturi_ that had almost killed her sister, she couldn’t let them mean anything to her. It wouldn’t be the same since they are real.

She knew she should be scared, being so close to one of the leaders of the Volturi, but just as she always was when she saw them, she was calm. But this wasn’t a dream, and she knew she should be scared, but sitting several inches away from his face, his hands literally on her, something she had never been able to do, she couldn’t find a single trace of fear. And it wasn’t due to Jasper’s ability.

She was at two for three of the men from her dreams, and she could not look away from him when he was so close to see if the seemingly always angry blond was in the room too, not when he was staring at her like she was a rare stone amongst gravel. 

She had to remind herself that if what she dreamed was true, he liked knowing stuff and that he was probably intrigued by her dreams. Finally, he blinked, releasing her hand. She knew that blink was solely for her, she knew vampires didn’t have to blink. He gave a giggle as he picked her up by her arms, steadying her.

“Fascinating.” He produced a handkerchief and gently wiped her face, causing her to stare at him in shock, something that wasn’t much different than what she had been doing the moment her eyes landed on him. “Much like how many of your thoughts are shielded from Edward’s prowling mind, you confound me at times as well.”

“Aro?” She knew that angry voice. Her heart stuttered, and Aro’s hand immediately latched back onto hers as she turned towards the blond. Her eyes met his and his lips pulled back over his teeth into a snarl that Blake knew she should be fearful of but wasn’t. She really was starting to think the vampires messed with her instincts because she could tell that looking at him, that he was probably one of the more formidable fighters she had seen in the room.

_Caius. Caius. CAIUS._ Many voices overlapped, just like when she learned Marcus’ and Aro’s names.

_“Caius.”_ He snapped his head towards Marcus who was standing a little ways behind Aro, eyes dark as midnight. She turned her attention back to Aro when he dropped her hand. Blake frowned when she realized he still had a freezing grip on her arm, keeping barely any of her weight on the ground. He knew she was in pain and was easing it.

“Carlisle, why don’t you and your son take Blake up to my study. It is the same room as before. We will join you shortly.” Blake didn’t even have time to comprehend that before she was whisked away, the wind of moving quickly against her. What she did comprehend, though, was how wrong she felt, though not sure why. When they stopped, she nearly tumbled out of Jasper’s arms. He placed her gently on a couch.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Aro breathed a quiet but fierce, “Get out.” The guards all disappeared, leaving just he and his brothers. Caius appeared in front of Aro. “Calm brother, this is wondrous. Most magnificent.”

“Marcus, there was this strange pull around that _human,”_ Caius said as he turned his head.

“Yes, it seems we have finally met our mate and she is terrified.” Caius’ teeth snapped shut with an audible clank. Aro was watching with a bitter smile. A million thoughts running through his mind. Her memories, his _mate’s_ memories swirling his head. He knew she was special when their eyes met, that she was something he would allow no harm to come to, but when Marcus touched his hand to show the barely-there beginnings of a soulmate bond from her to not just him but his brothers as well, it was so fascinating. This was interesting indeed. His plan that was already forming had a slight chance at ending disastrously, but a much larger chance at being successful. He wanted nothing more than to know everything about her immediately, something that would normally not be a problem for him, but she was different. He wanted to mark her as his own, but he couldn’t. They had to tread carefully around her, or they could turn her away. He would not allow such a magnificent creature to escape his grasp. His barely-there scent from his touch on her would be enough. For now.

“Then we turn her at once.”

“No,” Aro’s voice was firm as he frowned.

“Aro, if she’s indeed our mate we cannot allow her to remain human. It’s a vulnerability,” Caius hissed, eyes black. He growled a warning.

“I will not have our mate hate us for eternity. No, we do this slowly.” Caius seemed to calm slightly at the prospect of her hatred. He was still very obviously angry at the notion of leaving a mate defenseless. “You will not like this, but we will not tell her, yet, either.”

“Aro?” Marcus’ voice was soft, but his expression was nearly as furious as Caius’. “Care to explain why?”

“Blake Swan is a very independent person. Telling her that she is bound by fate to us will only make her want to run. Surely you know that a bond forged by our actions instead of a fact such as this will be stronger. No, we’ll learn her, and her us. We will tell her, brothers, but not yet. Now, I have many questions for our little mate. Let us go properly meet her.”

Back in the study, Jasper was sitting next to Blake on the couch, trying to make sense of her emotions.

“Blake, are you okay? What’s going on through your head? Your emotions aren’t making any sense.” She was staring at the bookshelf wall in front of her. One that she had seen countless times, though it looked slightly different. A few figurines she didn’t recognize, several books she hadn’t seen before. Carlisle knelt before her, looking over her quickly, but she couldn’t look at him.

She had told him she wasn’t gifted, but she had seen the three _leaders of the Volturi_ for years in her dreams. She- _fuck_ – she had a sketchbook _with_ her full of them.

“She’s going into shock,” Carlisle murmured to Jasper. Jasper sat next to her and grabbed a hold of her hand. Carlisle laid his hand on her other one. She was seized by the overall wrongness as he touched her and seized her hand away from him.

“Don’t touch me!” She shouted, breathing speeding up even more. Jasper went to move his hand, but she held on tight. He felt safe. He felt familiar.

But could she even trust familiar even more?

Her dreams were familiar, but they weren’t just dreams anymore, and they were probably talking about how they want to kill her.

That very thought made her stomach turn. It didn’t seem like a correct thought. It felt like a lie, but that made no sense.

“Blake?” She turned her eyes to Jasper, and her eyes filled with tears again. “I don’t understand, what happened?”

She didn’t have a chance to respond as the doors opened. The three leaders walked in, the doors closing without a sound behind them. All three of them were staring at Blake intently as they walked in. Carlisle raised up.

Blake hadn’t realized it, as her dreams had always been separate from any interaction with the Cullens, but while the Cullens moved with grace, they could not even compare to the grace the three of them possessed. Aro seemed to glide across the few steps to take Carlisle’s hand, eyes never leaving Blake. She swallowed back her tears and raised her chin, locking her jaw. The blond-no- _Caius_ sneered at that but did not look away. Jasper’s grip on her hand tightened. The three of them looked at their hands and Caius took a step, only to pause and look towards Marcus before nodding. 

Aro let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes as he dropped Carlisle’s hand.

“Well?” Caius bit out.

“Carlisle thinks she is gifted,” he said as he turned to him. Aro turned back to her. “That sense you had the night of your sister’s birthday party,” he said slowly, wide eyes roaming her face, “Jasper.” It was not a question as he held out his hand. Blake squeezed Jasper’s hand before dropping it. Jasper stood and walked to him, grasping the offered hand.

Blake jolted when his eyes snapped to Jasper and narrowed. He released his hand and looked back at her, eyes softening.

“Blake, that is quite a sense of danger you have,” he turned back to his brothers. “She could feel the danger of our coven even from Florence. It was faint, but still there. So fascinating.” He turned back to Blake. “I am quite interested in knowing how you know our names. Carlisle did not tell you, and in what I can see of your memories, there is no instance of you knowing.” She frowned. He couldn’t see how she knew.

“You can’t?” Her voice cracked but his soft expression did not fade. He shook his head slowly.

“It just sorta. Happened.” She cringed. She didn’t even believe that.

“Don’t lie to us,” Caius hissed, and Aro raised his hand slightly. Caius glared but backed up.

“I’m not lying, per se.” Aro raised his brows, intrigued. “They were dreams.”

“Like the one that you told Jasper about knowing his time as a major?” She blinked and his smile widened. “Apologies, I’ve never met someone with gaps that I couldn’t see. I did not see that dream of Jasper, could you describe it to me?” She nodded and tried to find her words, but she couldn’t. Not when his attention was on her.

How many times for her younger self wished that they would speak to her in her dreams? Yet, here she was, sitting right in front of the real thing but couldn’t speak. Maybe too scared that it was a dream and she was going to wake up to scary vampires that _were_ going to kill her on sight.

When her brain decided to kick in, she shook her head and shuffled to pull her backpack off of her shoulders. She could feel five pairs of curious eyes on her as she unbuckled the straps and opened it, pushing her dream sketchbook to the bottom of the bag, under her clothes, and pulled out the thick sketchbook that she used for everything, including her blood-splattered visions of Edward and Jasper. She knew exactly what page it was on and turned to it without showing any of the other pages. She held out the book with a shaking hand. He gingerly took it, fingers brushing against hers. The freezing contact sent shivers through her entire body.

It didn’t seem to be entirely because of the temperature.

He looked over his shoulder and Caius joined him, looking down at the sketchbook. He raised a brow but said nothing.

“This was a dream?”

“uh, more like the first time I met him I nearly had a heart attack because I saw that.” He raised his head back up a gleeful smile on his face. She managed to form a small one despite her world shattering. He was either going to kill her or send her home. Her dreams would never be the safe place they had always been knowing that they were real people and not something her brain had made up for her to find happiness in.

“Oh, that’s quite interesting. And us?”

“Yours were in dreams.”

“Dream of us often?” Marcus asked slowly. She hesitated, but that gave them the answer. Aro turned his smile towards Marcus. Caius turned the page of the sketchbook and she managed to silence the protest that wanted to escape, but not completely. They all looked up and she pursed her lips, a blush spreading across her face. “Is there a problem?” Marcus asked.

“She doesn’t share a lot of her art with people. Much less people she just met,” Aro said. She furrowed her brows for a second before remembering he just read all of her thoughts. He knew everything about her.

Well, apparently not everything, but a lot.

Caius turned the sketchbook around showing the image of Edward covered in blood.

“And this one?”

“When he was taking me to his house for the first time,” She said, glancing at where Carlisle and Jasper were standing, doing a poor job at not looking confused. She turned her attention back to Aro when he chuckled.

“It seems this ability of yours is blocking us. Your thoughts were blocked during that time in the car to Edward along with me seeing nothing from you. I wonder if it’s seeing and sensing the danger,” his eyes glazed for a second before he shook his head focusing back on her. “Forgive me, it’s not often I do not learn everything from everyone.” She nodded a couple of times, too quick to pass as calm. His smile calmed into a simple one. Inviting.

“You can relax, Blake. No harm will come upon you here. You have committed no crime.” She visibly relaxed, even if she hadn’t been feeling any fear since they walked in the door, she was still tense and ready for the order of her execution.

“However,” her eyes snapped to Caius, whose face twisted into a sinister smile, “You will not be returning with the Cullens.” She snapped her head to Carlisle who opened his mouth only to be silenced by Aro’s talking.

“Nonsense, brother. She needs to return to Washington, if only for a little while. She shall make sure no one is suspicious of her absence.”

“That sounds an awful like I’m going to die.” There was no stopping those words from tumbling out of her mouth. Everyone turned to look at her again and she forced herself to meet Caius’ glare with one of her own.

“You will not,” Marcus declared.

“Then why can’t I stay in Washington?” Her voice was not as strong as she wanted it to be. She kept her glare on Caius even when he smirked.

“The Cullens barely have enough intention to turn one human. It would be foolish to let them have two, one of which holds no permanent bond with any of them.” Okay, that hurt. She knew she didn’t mean anything to the Cullens, didn’t mean she needed him to state it so plainly. Her glare faltered and she looked at Carlisle.

“Aro, surely we can-”

“Don’t,” Jasper growled lowly, cutting Carlisle off. Blake felt hurt blossom in her chest. He didn’t want her either? Jasper turned his head towards Blake. “You’re family, Blake. But you won’t be harmed here, I promise you.”

“A lot of good trusting your promises have got me,” She hissed.

“Carlisle, it would do well for you to not question our ruling. Would you prefer we killed her instead?” Caius taunted. A shiver ran down her spine. He sounded furious, and while she had heard it many times, she always thought they were dreams. Carlisle’s lips moved quickly, no audible sound to her as she ran her eyes over the three of them.

They all looked exactly like she knew they did from her dreams. She understood what Bella had said they looked different than other vampires; their skin had a different texture and their eyes were slightly murky. She knew this. She had spent years trying to figure out how to draw that texture. It felt strange knowing that she had some kind of ability.

“Brother, calm yourself. She will be in perfectly good care with her brother.” She blinked.

“My _what?”_ Carlisle had a smile on his face as he turned to her. Jasper appeared back by her side, his calm attaching to her even though she wasn’t scared. Confused as fuck about talk of a brother.

“Oh, dear me, forgive me, I got ahead of myself, as you will learn I often do. Jasper, here, is your soul-brother. There are many bonds that people experience, and Marcus has the gift of seeing them. Soul-siblings are rare but it is a family bond of the soul, usually much stronger than any other friendship one can possess. This was the theory Carlisle told you of, and it is correct.” She blinked rapidly turning to Jasper who looked as shocked but the information as she felt.

“So, we’re actually family?” When Aro nodded she cut her eyes at Jasper. “You’re getting yelled at when we get back to Washington.” He chuckled but nodded.

Get back to Washington.

It clicked in Blake’s mind; she wasn’t being killed! She was going to be okay. She turned her eyes back to Caius, her extra sense than she had seemingly caught up past the shock.

“Why can’t I stay home, again?”

“Are humans always so forgetful? We won’t allow the Olympic coven to trusted with another human knowing our secret.” It seemed her entire sense of self-preservation went out the window when her instincts reared up and she narrowed her eyes.

“You’re lying.”

“I will not be called a liar in my own home,” He growled and Aro turned his head slightly towards him. Caius stopped and clenched his jaw.

“Well, not lying, but that’s not the whole truth.” Aro’s eyes snapped back to hers, a pleasant smile gracing his face as his hands clasped in front of him.

“Wonderful, that is quite an intuition you have their, young Swan. You are quite right, that is not the whole truth, but you don’t need to know all of it just yet. All in due time.” She nodded once. “Now, I’m quite sure you need rest. Demetri will escort you three to a room where you can do so.” Before she could even process that, Jasper had her in his arms.

“Jasper!” She hissed, but he said nothing, following Carlisle out of the study. She looked over his shoulder at the three of them. The last thing she saw before the doors closed was the darkly focused looks from them on her before Caius snarled at Aro.


	13. Chapter 13

She wasn’t expecting the vampire from before to seem much less threatening as he led the three of them through the halls, but he did. She also wasn’t expecting to be led into an actual bedroom which Jasper placed her on the bed.

She was also shocked that the bed was even softer than the one that she had used at the Cullens’ house. She sighed relaxing into the mattress as some of the pain faded away from her leg. It was a pulsing pain as compared to the usual overall throb and she knew she had messed up something when she fell earlier.

“Get some sleep, you need it,” Carlisle said as he stood at the door. She cleared her throat.

“Sorry for yelling at you, earlier. I don’t know what that’s about.” He merely shook his head.

“It’s fine. It was my mistake.” She held her hand out to him. He appeared and cautiously took it.

“thank you.” Before he could question it, she was asleep.

When she woke up, she jerked at the strange feeling surrounded her. Upon seeing red eyes staring intently at her, she instinctually swung her fist. His ice-cold hand caught her arm, avoiding her skin.

“I did not mean to frighten you, _piccola.”_ His accent rolled over the words perfectly and she sighed, relaxing back into the bed. She winced at the sudden roll of pain spreading through her. “Are you in pain?” He asked leaning closer to her. She snapped her head up.

“Where’s Jasper?” she added, “and Carlisle.” He moved back into his seated position on the edge of the bed, not removing his hand from her arm.

“They went hunting.”

“They left me?” she inwardly cursed herself for how weak her voice sounded. Her eyes went to his hand when he started rubbing small circles on her arm.

“They will return shortly. I must admit it was my suggestion that made them go. They needed to feed.” She slowly relaxed back into the bed knowing they hadn’t abandoned her there. However, the strange feeling from before was nearly suffocating with Aro sitting so close to her. “May I ask you a couple of questions?”

“Can I ask some in return?” His eyes brightened and he nodded.

“Of course.” She nodded, then. “You said you had dreams of my brothers and I,” He paused, and she confirmed, and he continued, “I am curious as to how long have you been having them?”

“As long as I can remember. My turn.” His small smile widened, and he nodded. “How much of my thoughts could you see?”

“I think most of them. Besides not being able to see many of your dreams, there are seemingly random times when everything went blank.” When she nodded, he pat her arm, before returning back to rubbing circles on it. “Are you scared right now?”

“If you could figure that out, why don’t you?” He raised a brow, his smile turning into a smirk as he _tsk-_ ed at her.

“Answer first then you ask a question.” She huffed but nodded, adjusting her back into a slightly less painful position.

“No.” And it was the truth. She wasn’t scared, despite her commonsense saying that she should be. Maybe it was because she had seen him all her life. Maybe it was because he truly didn’t mean her harm. She didn’t know, all she did know was that she didn’t feel threatened despite being alone with him. “Why are you here?”

“I couldn’t hold off my curiosity for long. Forgive me, if I have made you uncomfortable.”

“What’s made me uncomfortable is not knowing how much of my life you’ve seen.” He frowned, eyebrows drawing together.

“That’s unfortunate.” He then elaborated at her frown. “That I’ve made you uncomfortable with something I cannot remedy. I cannot pick and choose what I see. It seems that something of yours has blocked certain moments of your life from gifts like mine and Edward’s.” That didn’t let Blake know how much he knew. His eyes seemed to glaze as he stared down at her, completely unmoving.

“Uh, I do believe it’s your turn to ask something.” She shifted, again and he blinked, resuming tracing his invisible designs on her arm, his face serious as he stared at her. Not in a way that made her uncomfortable, just serious.

“Ask another.” She raised an eyebrow but thought about the question.

“Caius seemed pretty angry at you in the antechamber. Is he?” His serious expression cracked when he smiled.

“Perhaps. He will get over it quickly, though.” She nodded, and his smile disappeared again. “Forgive me, but I must ask; what do you think you should have done differently?” At her confused expression, he apologized and went on. “The night of the raid.” Her blood turned to ice in her veins. “You knew nothing of what was actually happening, but you feel so guilty. Why? What could you have done differently to save them?” Her ears started ringing as she stared up at him, fury crawling up her back.

“You saw that?” When he nodded, she pushed herself into a sitting position, her arm coming out of his grasps. “Don’t. Don’t ask about that. If you’ve seen that, you know I don’t want to talk about it, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t.”

“Young Swan, this guilt you carry around is unfounded-”

“Stop! Stop it! Don’t talk about it! You have no right! Get out.” His eyes were wide, palms up. Her eyes filled with tears as images of that night flickered into her head. “LEAVE!” He opened his mouth to say something but then blurred out of the door. She fell back onto the bed pulling the sheets up to bury her face in them as she sobbed. She shook her head as if that could get the memories out of her head.

Later, when she calmed down, she would be terrified that she spoke to the leader of the Volturi like that, but for now, she was just trying to keep a grasp on the present.

She could still feel the blood on her hand and the warm metal of his tags as she pressed her hands to Nick’s throat, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, even though it was obviously not going to work. His terrified and pain-filled blue eyes staring up her, his hands clutching her shoulders. His gargled pleas to her. His rattled last breath as she apologized and pulled his body on top of her to conceal that she wasn’t dead.

A half scream tried to erupt from her throat when terror flooded her veins, all memories from the past fading away as a freezing hand wrapped around her throat, pushing her into the mattress. The hand belonged to a blonde woman she hadn’t seen before, eyes black as they glared down at her. Her lips were pulled over her teeth in a snarl.

Blake knew this woman was here to kill her.

“Never before has there been a _human_ in your position. It’s revolting. What’s special about _you?_ Look at you, you’re a pathetic, disgusting _thing._ ” The off texture of skin that seemed to match the kings looked _wrong_ on her. Blake tried to make any noise, body trying to flip from under the vampire. Nothing was happening.

“The only thing you’re good for is your blood. Don’t worry, I won't spill.” Blake’s heartrate skyrocketed as the vampire gave her a sadistic look. Just when she thought she was about to be food; the cold was gone, and she was spluttering barely even registering the crashing sound. She rolled on her side, ignoring the flaming pain in her leg to focus on trying to get air into her incredibly painful throat. A gloved hand grabbed her head, turning her face to him. It was the escort from before, Demetri. His eyes looked over her face before turning. She followed his line as she coughed, rubbing her throat. Caius was standing in a hole in the wall that had not been there a minute ago, the blonde vampire dangling from his hand which was wrapped around her throat. His back was to her, but Blake could almost see the unnatural anger that he possessed.

“Come on, I have to take you out of here.” She slowly tore her eyes away from Caius to Demetri. He held his arms out and as soon as she was able to ease her coughs into wheezes, she accepted his hands. He pulled her into his arms, taking off. She was in a chair, a blanket around her shoulders before she really realized what had happened.

Demetri disappeared and she glanced around. She was in a very comfy chair, one of five in the area. A table was in the middle of all five. The walls were decorated with shelves full of books and other things that she didn’t know what they were. She had drawn this room many times, it was the one that had changed the most throughout her dreams. She recognized the room solely by the ceiling which had a spot from which it had been damaged and had to be fixed after Caius had thrown something in anger and broke the ceiling. She wondered if her dreams had actually happened, or if they were simply just trying to warn her of the leaders.

This room also only ever seemed to have a place for five people to sit. Always. The furniture and decorations had always changed, Blake doesn’t think she’s seen the same decorations twice.

Across from her was a huge wooden cabinet, beautiful metal nobs, and design plates spread across it. It looked handcrafted. She wondered what was in it, but figured she shouldn’t snoop, and she wasn’t sure if she could walk without her leg giving out.

Her hand came up to rub her sore throat, coughing immediately. She heard a door click and she snapped her head towards it, eyes hard even though her heart was racing. She may not be able to hide her fear, but she wouldn’t show it.

She relaxed when the strange and homey feeling surrounded her. Her eyes met Marcus’ as he slowly walked towards her. She glanced at the door that was shut behind him.

“You made a noise,” her voice rasped, and she winced.

“don’t speak. Not until Carlisle returns and examines your throat.” She nodded and he glided into a seat next to her. She relaxed, pulling her good leg up against her chest, gripping the blanket around her shoulders. “I deeply apologize for this happening to you. We were not allowed she left the tower. She will never bother you again. You have my word.” The way he said that, made her think that she wasn’t going to be around to have the chance. Before she could say anything, Carlisle and Jasper walked in. Carlisle immediately knelt in front of her chair.

“May I?” She nodded and he began poking and prodding her throat. His touch was gentle as always, but it was still painful to the touch. “Nothing’s broken. Would you like some water?” She nodded quickly. Not too long later, a cup full of water was pressed into her hands which she drank greedily. She turned back to Marcus.

“Are you insinuating that she’ll be dead?” He raised a singular brow, and she nearly dropped the cup. She had never seen anything other than the same depressed expression on his face, but he seemed almost…interested.

“Would you rather she not be? She was intent on killing you.” Blake shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe, but that’s the food chain, right? Vampires eat people.” Marcus’ nearly black eyes glinted.

“This was much more than simply being the food chain. If that’s what you want, however, I’m sure another suitable punishment can be administered.” He turned his eyes to Carlisle. “If you require anything, Demetri will get it for you. He’s just in the hall.” With that, Marcus got up and left. Blake raised her eyes to Jasper.

“Safe, right?” he scowled, and she chuckled and immediately winced. “I’m messing with you.”

“Take it easy on the talking, Blake. Nothing may be broken, but you can still irritate your throat.” She nodded at Carlisle and went back to sipping what was left of her water. “We’ll leave once the sun comes up.” She furrowed her brows. “It’s one in the morning. Our flight leaves at seven.” She nodded and gave him a thumbs up. She wiped her face with her sleeves, riding it of the tears.

She had managed to calm down enough that the only sound was the very occasional sniffle. The door opened again and Marcus and Aro walked in. Aro held out her sketchbook which she took with a shaking hand and a quiet ‘thank you’.

“Athenodora attacked our guest, and under normal circumstances, she would have been executed. However, since it is you, she attacked and you voiced against that, she will not. She will be punished another way,” Aro said, sitting on the seat furthest away from her. She ignored the stab of hurt that went through her at that. She had no reason to be upset by him sitting far away from her, especially as he had the audacity to bring up something that he had no right to do.

Marcus took the seat next to her which he had previously. Jasper and Carlisle remained standing. After a few seconds, which felt way longer to Blake, she sighed, turning her eyes to Aro who was already watching her intently.

“Yes, young one?”

“When will I be returning?” His face turned soft, eyes drilling into his making her think he was staring into her soul.

“That is for you to do on your own time. All that matters is that you return. I would implore you to not take too long, Caius may go to America himself for that. He is not a very patient person.” She nodded a couple of times. Then her eyes went wide when she remembered she yelled at him not too long ago.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, that was out of place.” He simply waved his hand, the very action so graceful. Much too graceful for such a simple action.

“Do not fret over it, I stepped over a boundary I should not have. I also do that quite often.” Carlisle cleared his throat.

“What shall we tell her family?”

“I don’t see why the lie,” Blake flinched. “That she told her father will not work. Just that the neurosurgeon can indeed operate, only that it would take several surgeries and careful observation so that relocation would be the best option.”

Blake hated to lie to her dad, he was everything to her. While Renée had taken Bella with her when she left Forks, Blake stayed with Charlie, and she had hardly ever seen her mother. Her dad was her first friend, her protector. But she wouldn’t tell him the truth, _couldn’t._ It was a necessity.

“Take your time to get everything in order, young one. I am not certain if you will ever return.” She had to bite back a very loud protest at that. He was the lead vampire king. She figured yelling at him was enough testing of her luck for her entire life. “You, of course, will be able to continue contact with anyone you so wish to.” She nodded. She looked up and flinched when his visage temporarily changed to him dressed in impeccable Victorian-era clothes, or it would have been impeccable if it wasn’t covered in blood. It faded just as quickly as it came.

“You should get some more rest.” She shook her head.

“Not tired. Sleep on the plane,” She croaked, before drinking more of her water. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to sleep here. Even though she felt safe in the room currently, it didn’t mean it would stay that way with her unconscious. “Who was she?”

“No one you need to worry about,” Aro said immediately. She had a feeling there was a long story behind it and nowhere near as simple as what he just said. But she also was trying not to do anything to make them change their minds because she obviously couldn’t trust her gut. Her instincts were telling her that she was safe with them, but she was a human and they were vampires that were in charge of making sure no human knew of them.

Despite Blake truly not being tired, she did end up drifting to sleep, only to wake up in Jasper’s arms as he put her in the car. He shushed her and she fell back asleep. She could have sworn someone pressed a kiss to her forehead, too cold to be Jasper.

This also meant she was wide awake on the plane, so she started drawing the castle, trying to have it as clean as possible for a sketch. It was a magnificent structure and she wanted to capture it.

Most importantly, though, she was drawing so she could focus on the art instead of thinking of everything that had happened in Volterra. It would be better if she didn’t think of it. If she thought about it—about _them—_ she would probably end up crying again. It wasn’t fair. They were her safety, why did they have to be real? It would take away from her precious little fantasy and homey feeling that she would have around them. She knew it would. Why would her dreams still be the same, knowing that they were real and not hers in any way? They weren’t her safety; they protected their kind from hers.

So, instead of thinking, she furiously sketched, breaking quite a few pencils in the process. She managed to finish the castle so instead started drawing the castle’s lobby. She also had been trying to ignore Jasper’s stare that was drilling holes into the side of her skull.

Her apparent _soul-brother._ She wasn’t sure how that worked, but she also knew that she already had a sibling, and Bella had never broken such a strong promise before. She didn’t need Jasper around. She got along just fine without him before she met him and when he disappeared.

When they landed, she was already exhausted again. She leaned heavily on Jasper as they walked, her leg was killing her, but she wanted to walk.

By the sense of danger she felt, she wasn’t surprised by the fact that the entire Cullen family was in the airport and Bella. Alice came over to greet Jasper, right as her knee buckled. Six hands grabbed a hold of her before Jasper scooped her into his arms. She didn’t even complain. She had to blink back tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She had done enough crying into the past day. Bella smiled at her when they got closer.

“You’re alive,” She breathed. Blake scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, you can do the honors yourself,” Blake joked. Bella shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Jasper, put me down?”

“You know as well as I do that if I put you down, you’re going to fall flat on your face.” She pouted but didn’t contradict his words. She knew it but still didn’t have to like it. She rode in the car with Jasper and Alice back to her house. Edward and Bella pulled up shortly after Jasper put her in her bed and they exchanged quiet goodbyes before he left. Blake had just managed to prop her leg up when her door flew open, a furious Bella in the doorway.

“YOU'RE GOING _BACK_ TO ITALY? _”_ Well...fuck.


	14. Chapter 14

Blake had spent an hour trying to get Bella to stop yelling her, and it was not working.

“Are you absolutely insane? You have to be, they’re monsters!” She felt anger bubble beneath her skin as she finally had it, slamming her hand onto her dresser. Bella jumped.

“Shut the fuck up. You’re standing there yelling at me like I made the choice to go there. I fucking didn’t. They don’t trust your precious Cullens. Okay? The only reason they let you walk out of there is because you are bound to the family. You’ve got Edward. Alice _saw_ you as a vampire. Aro was okay with that. There is no reason that the Cullens would want to keep a promise like that to them. So, I’m off to Italy.” Her throat was on fire, but she ignored it. Bella’s eyes filled with tears.

“Are they going to kill you?” Blake shrugged her shoulders, not giving away how terrified and angry she was. She didn’t know what they were going to do to her once she got there. She didn’t know if the moment she stepped foot into the castle that someone would be there to bite her and turn her into one of them. She didn’t know. And she was furious because her life was in Forks. With her dad. With Bella.

And she was being ripped away from it to a foreign country. She didn’t even sign up for this one.

“How can you be so calm about this?” Bella demanded, collapsing onto the bed. Blake managed to hide her wince as her leg was jostled.

“Why bother being emotional about something I can’t change? The Volturi demanded it, so the Volturi shall get it. It’s that simple.” It was not that simple. It was much worse but she didn’t want her sister to be falling apart when she left.

The doorbell rang so Bella gave her a watery look that clearly said their talk wasn’t over and she left to get the door. A moment later, she and Carlisle showed up at her door.

“Bella, give us a minute?” Her sister nodded and left. Carlisle walked in. He held up a large red envelope.

“Aro said to give this to you.” He placed it onto her side table. “Are you alright?” She chewed her lip before shaking her head.

“I don’t know what to expect once I’m back there and that scares me.”

“But the fact that you’ll be in a place full of vampires doesn’t?”

“That’s secondary,” She smirked. “Carlisle, I think I hurt my leg. When I fell.” He motioned to it, and she nodded. He started prodding it and she jerked quite a lot, everything seemingly more sensitive than usual.

“I think you’ve just irritated it. Stay off of it for a while. If it persists, you need to go get some imaging tests done.” She nodded as he back away from her bed. “As for not knowing what to expect, they won’t be turning you the moment you get there if that’s what you are concerned about. The Volturi don’t handle newborns. If I had to guess, they are going to wait until we turn Bella before turning you and giving you to us to care for in your first few years.” She nodded a couple of times.

“So, what? I’m just there until after Bella graduates?” Her eyes widened. “I won’t be able to watch her graduate?” She shrieked. Carlisle’s face was serene as he nodded. “But- But it’s her _graduation.”_

“Blake, I’m sorry.” He didn’t have to say that. It was hardly his fault.

“Listen here.” She swallowed back her tears. “You guys better not fuck with her feelings ever again. If I hear about you guys ever hurting her again, I will find a way out of Italy and figure out a way to kick your asses because she doesn’t deserve that. She’s been hurt enough by your family.” He nodded, face pained. She yawned, which she scowled at; it messed up her glare. She was trying to be intimidating, but she figured that it didn’t really matter. There wasn’t really a way she could intimidate a vampire.

“Do you want to talk about your gift?”

“no.” She snapped and winced, hand coming up to rub her throat. He disappeared for a half a second before he was back, holding out a water bottle to her. She nodded her thanks and drank a couple sips. “Is it bruised?”

“Not to the human eye, yet. It will.”

“What do I tell Charlie? Someone got handsy at the doctor’s office?”

“Either that or at the airport. Preferably that I was in the restroom or something, so he doesn’t try to attack me.” She snorted and nodded.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t go over very well. I’ll make sure he doesn’t try to assault you,” She assured him. She yawned again. “Can you keep Bella away? I’m really tired.” Carlisle nodded to her and wished her a good sleep before he left.

Blake fought for a while to get comfortable without either her leg or her throat bothering her too much, but she was eventually able to go to sleep.

It didn’t feel any different. Not besides knowing that they were real. It felt more…personal, though, as she watched the three men stare at each other in Aro’s study. And of course, now she knew it was _his_ study and not just _a_ study. Meaning that there was probably more than one.

“Are we really going to allow this? Leave her unprotected?” Caius snarled. Aro raised a hand, dark eyes narrowed. Blake noticed that all of their eyes were black. “I have half a mind to go and drag her back here.”

“Caius. Enough. That would be beyond foolish,” Marcus said, his voice darker than usual. Blake wasn’t the only one to turn to him in shock. He looked right at Caius.

“You don’t have any room to speak. You wish to be nothing more than a catatonic shell for three thousand years and now you want to speak,” Caius continued to growl in a language that he often spoke that Blake still couldn’t figure out what it was. Aro sighed, hands clasped patiently in front of him as he waited for his brother to finish.

Blake walked between the brothers, glad that it still felt safe in her dreams, even though they were real and were dangerous individuals. Finally, Caius stopped, instead his entire frame shaking, a steady growl reverberating from his chest, only to be silenced when Aro said something in the same language.

“If you two are quite done, can we continue our conversation in a civilized manner?” Marcus’ eyes cut to Caius, though no expression was on his face.

“Why? Aro will just make more decisions without consulting us,” Caius hissed, spinning around. He must have kicked the chair faster than Blake could comprehend because it went flying into a wall and broke into pieces.

“Quit destroying my stuff. You have plenty of your own to reign your anger down on.”

“Enough. Let’s discuss.” Caius huffed, but nodded, turning back around to face his brothers.

“I will not allow more than a week.”

“Caius, be reasonable,” Aro insisted. Caius narrowed his eyes at him.

“That is beyond reasonable. I will not allow something so valuable to us to be out of our grasps for any longer.”

“This is not a simple case, brother. The end of June.”

“Preposterous!”

“I’m inclined to agree with Caius, on that one. That is much too long,” Marcus said. Blake’s jaw practically unhinged. She had never heard him speak so many words before.

“Thank you, brother. I knew I couldn’t have been the only one with any sense around here,” Caius barked.

“Do not get ahead of yourself, Caius. A week is not long enough,” Marcus said, easily unaffected by the glare in which he received. Blake frowned. She was used to not know what was going on, but for them to be this angry at each other, it must have been something outrageous. She wondered what it was about.

She wondered what her dreams even showed her was real. Aro couldn’t see them, so he hadn’t been much help. She figured the only way to know was to ask them when she got back to Italy, but she wasn’t sure she would have the guts. What was she supposed to say ‘ _hey, I’ve been dreaming of you all my life? Are they real? Sorry to have invaded your personal life like such.’_?

Yeah…no. She’d rather not walk up to them and say that.

“How long would you recommend then, brother?” Aro asked calmly, eyes flickering to Marcus.

“No more than a month. If it takes longer, we go ourselves.” Aro nodded once, eyes turning to Caius.

“What say you, Caius?” Caius huffed a growl.

“Fine.” Aro’s face brightened. “Why did you recommend the end of June?” Aro’s smile turned dark.

“Oh, there are reasons. It matters not to me, it will be the cause of you two.”

“What does that mean-”

Blake’s eyes snapped open at her door opening slowly. She gripped the gun under her pillow and ripped it out, pointing it towards the door.

“Woah, kid! It’s me.” She sighed, putting the gun down, clicking safety back on. Charlie cut the light on as he took a step and immediately froze. “What the fuck happened to your neck?” He came forward kneeling before the bed, hands reaching up to her neck. So, it had bruised.

“Some rowdy drunk at the airport in Florence. It’s fine. Barely hurts.” He huffed shaking his head, before pressing a kiss to her forehead as he stood to sit on the edge of her bed. She moved her gun to her nightstand.

“You alright?” She nodded. “Good, good. Billy was worried about you when I said you left with Dr. Cullen.” She winced.

“I meant to tell him, I was in a rush and-”

“Don’t worry about it, he’s not mad. He understands that you had to leave then. So, get some more sleep. We’re supposed to be there for breakfast in the morning and you can tell us all about it.” Her protest died in her throat. She figured seeing Billy immediately would be a good idea, so she just nodded. Her dad gave her a small smile before he kissed her head and mumbled a goodnight before leaving. She looked at her clock and groaned. It was two in the morning, and there was no way that she was going back to sleep.

She fought through her pain and got dressed for the day, and then got out her easel and pencil. She started drawing the beautiful landscape of Italy from her car ride. She had just finished laying down acrylics when her dad knocked on her door. She called for him to come in as she moved the easel back and stood up from the bed.

“you ready?” she nodded and slowly limped after him to his car. They drove in relative science, only chatting about random stuff. She hadn’t appreciated it much. The last time she did was in the last few times she had seen him before she was deployed. She had savored every moment with him, just in case, it was her last. Just like she was doing now.

When they got to Billy’s, Carlisle’s warning to stay off her leg flashed through her mind, but she ignored it. She was just going to walk into the house, it’d be fine. They went in, Billy greeted them with smiles and a hug for Blake. They ended up in the living room, Charlie and Blake sharing a couch.

“So, a renown doctor in Italy?” She nodded once. “How’d it go?” She took a deep breath, preparing to lie her ass off. It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. All she had to do was think of the Volturi as classified information. Which definitely wasn’t hard, because it technically was, just not US government classified.

“Great!” She smiled, sipping her water. “They think they’ll be able to help.” Charlie’s eyes widened, while Billy smiled, his slightly suspicious look fading away.

“really?” She nodded, her smile falling. “What’s wrong? That’s great news!” Charlie said and she sent him a sad smile.

“Yes, it is. But it’ll be tons of surgeries, with even more careful observation. The best and recommended course of action to make sure I’ll have the best chance at recovery is to move there. At least for the time being.” Her heart nearly broke at the sorrow that filled her dad’s face.

“oh.”

“Yeah, but I’ll call! A lot. It won’t be like when I’m deployed when I have limited time to call you. It’ll be whenever our schedules line up. I’ll even teach you how to use skype.” Charlie nodded and sent her a smile, even with teary eyes.

“Yeah, of course. This is a good thing. You deserve this.” She nodded. Billy furrowed her brows.

“What’s this doctor’s name, again?”

“Uh, something fancy. I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention to his name. I wasn’t very optimistic about it, but then he said he could help and then I started listening intently. Figured it would have been rude to ask for his name after I had already been talking to him for a while. Carlisle knows, though.” She figured throwing him under the bus for this would be a good place for him to start rebuilding that trust.

“Kid, you should’ve paid more attention.”

“I did, once I figured out I wasn’t wasting my time.” Charlie rolled his eyes but nodded.

“Charlie, I think I have some more drinks on the porch, would you mind?” Charlie shook his head and left to go get them. Blake sent him a smile, which faded with the hard look he sent her. “Tell me honestly, is this the truth?”

“Well-”

“Billy! Where?” Charlie yelled from outside.

“Somewhere out there!” Billy called back before fixing Blake with a steady look. She didn’t know if she should tell him, but she definitely was going to.

“No. Not one bit of it.” Billy’s face paled.

“Are they hurting you? If they’ve broken the treaty-”

“No, they’re not breaking the treaty. This has nothing to do with them,” Blake said. Billy’s brows furrowed.

“Then why are you leaving?”

“Their leaders, the ones that enforce the law have demanded it.”

“So, you’ll be one of them, then?” She winced at the harsh look he gave her.

“No. At least, not immediately, according to Carlisle.” His glare didn’t fade, and her eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t be mad at me, Billy. I didn’t choose this.” His face softened as he came closer and grabbed her hands in his. She gripped his hands hard.

“I’m not mad at you. Only that I can’t do anything for you.” She nodded quickly. “What happened to your neck? That really happen in an airport?”

“A woman was going to take a bite out of me.” Blake never thought she would say that sentence in that context. A different context, maybe. This context? Never in a million years.

Charlie came back in with a case of some kind of soda, Sam right behind him. She sighed. This was not going to go over well with the pack, at all. And judging by the look Billy was giving her, he would definitely be telling them. 

They spent the entire day talking with each other, laughing, making memories that Blake would cherish for the rest of her life. When they got back to their house later that night, Bella invited herself into the room.

“Are you scared?” Blake nodded once, eyes going down to her hands.

She chewed her lip, hesitating. “Only because I don’t know what they want with me. And if something like this,” She motioned to the bruised handprint on her throat, “happens again but no one stops it. It’s a hell of a way to go, and I’m not eager to die like that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, it’s my fault that-”

“Bella! No, it’s not. You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides, it should be interesting. Maybe I can finally learn Italian like I’ve been wanting to.” What Blake didn’t say was how her instincts were telling her that this was a _good_ thing. Because it didn’t make any sense. Yeah, sure, she knew the kings, but they didn’t know her, and they treated humans like cattle. She wasn’t exactly sure why or how it could be a good thing, but she was going to find out soon.

Bella rolled her eyes, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “Can I do anything?”

“Find me the suitcases?” Bella nodded and left the room. She returned shortly with a suitcase and a smaller carryon. She nodded her thanks. “Goodnight, Bella. And it’s not goodbye. I’ll even call you.” Bella nodded and left her to go get some sleep.

Blake was not at all tired, remnants of sleeping so much in the past couple of days, so she propped herself up and picked up the red envelope from her side table. It was heavier than she expected. She opened it, sliding everything out and into her hand. The top page was another handwritten fancy letter.

_Dear Young Swan,_

_I hope you are well. I would like to again apologize for the actions of Athenodora and the fact that we did not stop her before she got to you. It was a mistake on our part. It shall never happen again. Your safety during your time here in my home will be held in the highest regard._

_I understand that you probably do not want to leave your home, but alas, it is for the best. I can assure you that you will not be faced with any danger from us. Careful precautions will be in place to prevent any accidents._

_I implore you to not take too long in Washington. Caius is not a patient man and is not above coming there himself to collect you. He could barely tolerate Carlisle when he was apart of our family, and he has no need to currently trust him. This is a situation new to us all._

_You are, of course, welcome to bring anything you wish to make yourself comfortable in our home. We will also provide you with anything you need. If you wish to bring all of your art supplies, you could surely do that, or we can simply provide you with new ones. I know how much you enjoy art. Which leads me into my gift to you, Caius and Marcus helped slightly. With this letter are two works of art that we have chosen for you. I am sure you will appreciate them._

_I cannot wait for you to grace our halls with your presence._

_Best regards,_

_Aro Volturi_

Blake furrowed her brows, moving the fancy letter and nearly fell over. The works of art were on glass panels, both beautifully well done and so wonderfully realistic. If she couldn’t see the paint and feel the texture, she would have sworn the were photographs. They were of two completely different landscapes, one of a sunset over a small village, the other of a magnificent waterfall in a jungle.

They were wonderful.

And she couldn’t help but question why they had given them to her, but something was telling her that it was definitely a good thing.


	15. Chapter 15

Despite commonsense telling her otherwise, Blake was actually feeling quite excited about going to Italy. Common sense was telling her there was nothing to be excited about being the edible thing amongst a bunch of vampires. But everything was fucking excited at the prospect of the Volturi for a reason she couldn’t place.

As she was packing up her old sketchbooks, dozens filled with her dreams of the Volturi kings—she couldn’t leave them in Washington—Carlisle showed up. He looked around at her open suitcases and boxes.

“There’s no need to do this so soon,” he said. She shrugged. It had only been three days since they had returned from Italy, but it felt like her soul was itching to leave already. She couldn’t explain it, but she _wanted_ to be with the Volturi. The prospect of waiting felt wrong. Like she needed to be there.

She was done trying to understand these instincts that may actually be part of a supernatural gift, so she didn’t question it. Well, not thoroughly anyway.

“Would you like help?” He asked. She shot him a suspicious glare. He quirked a brow, but she sighed and nodded. She pointed to the box on the floor.

“Put the exercise stuff in it?” They continued packing quietly. Carlisle was moving at a human pace, so she figured he wanted to talk some more, but had yet to say anything. She carried on packing up her sketchbooks into the carry-on. “You suppose it’ll be okay to mail some things? I mean, he said in the letter I could bring anything I wanted, but I don’t think carrying it all on the plane is doable.” He paused, whole body freezing, but then he relaxed and nodded.

“If that’s what he said then I’m sure it’ll be fine. I could call the receptionist and ask her to pass on the message if you want to make certain?” He phrased it as a question, and she nodded.

“yeah.” But then the thought crossed her mind if the receptionist had the ability to call, why had Aro instead sent letters? Was it an old vampire thing? Was it like how grandparents generally don’t understand tech? Or was it because tech was a human thing and they don’t like humans? She brushed the questions aside. Maybe she could find out once she got back to Italy.

“I can do it now?” She nodded and he walked out of her room. She moved to grab another box out of her closet and nearly dropped it when white-hot pain pulsed through her leg. A cold arm wrapped around her waist and the other grabbed the box. She looked up and narrowed her eyes as Jasper led her back to sit on her bed.

“Were you here this whole time?” She asked.

“No, I just got here.” He nodded to the dresser which now had a paper bag on it. “I brought donuts.” She chuckled and held out her hand.

“Gimme. I’m hungry.” He smirked.

“Yes, ma’am.” He moved after setting the box down. He retrieved the bag and gave it to her. She smiled and thanked him as she began eating.

“so, _brother,_ what are you doing here besides bringing me food.” He laughed bumping her arm.

“I just wanted to bring you food.”

“I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Really?” He fixed her with a leveled stare, lips pulled into a small, soft smile.

“Truly, Blake. I just wanted to bring you food. We’re soul-siblings,” his brow pinched together. “Which is just a name for something I had already felt. You feel like family. Always have, always will.” She turned her eyes away from his, choosing instead to remain silent as she munched on her sweets.

“I know I majorly-” she cracked a smile “-fucked up and there’s nothing I can do to fix it overnight. I understand. Honestly, I am surprised that your sister isn’t madder at us. You have a right to your anger and-” she turned, wrapping her arms around him, his words falling short. He wrapped his around her and she sighed, closing her eyes, tightening her arms.

“I’m still mad. But it’s also okay. I’ve had my weeks to mad. Now, I want time with you without being angry at you. That won’t be easy for me. But I don’t want to leave here mad you, you hear?” He nodded, chin moving to rest on her head.

“I understand, ma’am.” She smirked.

“Good.” Carlisle came back in right after they ended their hug, and she had a feeling that he had stayed outside on purpose.

“Aro said that you are welcome to mail any belongings of yours that you wish to,” he said as he got back to packing the box he had been assigned.

“How much is shipping to Italy?” She muttered, finishing off her donut.

“Don’t worry about that, Blake.” She snapped her eyes towards Carlisle. “It’ll be taken care of. It’s the least we can do.” She wanted to protest, but she also wanted her stuff to be in Italy, so she decided against arguing, on the off chance that she won. She knew she probably couldn’t afford to send stuff halfway across the world.

“Fine.” She went to get up, but Jasper pushed her gently by the shoulders.

“Stay off your leg. What do you need?” She glared but pointed at the box that he had stopped from crashing to the ground when he showed up. He got up and put it on her bed. It had more of her old sketchbooks in it which she carefully packed away. She moved aside useless trinkets, grabbing a photo album. It had pictures of anytime Bella was in town when they were kids. She had given up trying to do the scrapbook thing shortly before Bella stopped coming back to Forks. Instead, all of her developed pictures were safely tucked away in the envelopes they were in when she picked them up.

She put the album with her sketchbooks.

“How long are you planning to stay in Forks?” She shrugged, making a noise in the back of her throat as she glanced around her room for something else to distract her.

“Not sure. Just wanted to have things packed up. Something tells me that Caius wouldn’t be opposed to coming here to drag me back to Italy himself,” She commented, and inwardly screeched. She had never once straight out referenced her dreams of the kings before. While they didn’t know it, it still felt different. Like she had just told some big secret.

“Well, you’re not wrong. For an immortal, Caius is not very patient. However, Aro also said for you to take your time. You don’t have to rush anything,” Carlisle said.

“I’m not.” Her voice was hard, and she didn’t mean for it to be. She took a deep breath. “I’m just packing. Make sure I have all the stuff I want with me. Make it no so terrible from being uprooted from here to Italy.” Carlisle nodded thoughtfully.

They went about packing up her stuff, her finding it thoroughly entertaining that they were doing it at a human pace. At one-point Carlisle left to go get some more boxes seeing as she only had a few. He returned to drop them off and then had to leave to go to work.

Blake and Jasper were having a good time, talking about anything and everything, like they used to. Blake still felt wary about him breaking his promise but seeing as she was the one leaving this time, she figured he wouldn’t have the opportunity again.

When her dad came home and came to investigate her laughs, he raised a brow. She smiled at him and introduced him properly to Jasper. He nodded at them.

“Are you staying for dinner then, Jasper?” Charlie asked.

“No, sir. My family and I keep a strict diet.” Charlie nodded and awkwardly left. Blake and Jasper exchanged looks before busting out laughing.

“Oh, hey,” She got his attention once they stopped laughing. “I have something for you. Grab my backpack, would you?” He did so, sending her a playful glare.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I _made_ something for you, actually. And it’s for you and Alice. I had it done before you guys left, but then I was mad when you came back, so.” She opened up a folder where she had the laminated drawing of him and Alice at the Cullen house, the two of them looking at each other with so much love that Blake had tried her best to show. She gave it to him.

He gingerly took it, his eyes flicking over the entire thing. “Blake, this is magnificent. Thank you.” His eyes were sincere as they turned to her. She nodded, and then she felt his gratitude wash over her, and she gulped. It was overwhelming.

“Jasper, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m an artist and you two are perfectly adorable. So, it’s the least I could do.” He pulled her into another hug which she reciprocated, pushing the fear of being so close to a vampire away. He wouldn’t hurt her; she knew that much at least.

After he left, Charlie came to collect her for dinner which Bella cooked. Blake had to make up a lot of lies on the spot as her dad asked her a bunch of questions on what was going to happen once she was in Italy. Bella kept giving her fearful looks when Charlie wasn’t looking. Blake merely sent her a reassuring smile. 

Blake knew that Bella was aware of nothing she said was the truth, but was hoping she was a good enough actor to not give it away to Charlie. Thankfully, most of their dad’s attention was on her and not her sister, which made it easier, because Bella had a horrible poker face.

When Charlie asked about her living arrangements in Italy, she froze. Bella looked at her like a deer the headlights. But, she just brushed it off as needing to drink some water while she formulated her lie. She didn’t have to as the phone rang and Blake jumped up to get it, ignoring any pain.

“Hello?”

“Listen closely, tell him you’ll be staying in the summer house that we have in Florence. Don’t let him know I just told you that,” Alice Cullen spoke swiftly and softly.

“Got it.” They hung up. She made her way back to the table. “That was Alice. She wanted me to pass on the invitation to go shopping with her and Rosalie tomorrow after school.” She said as she sat down and gave a pointed look to Bella who shrugged. Charlie reminded her of where she was staying.

“The Cullen’s summer home in Florence. Normally, I wouldn’t accept something like that from anyone, but I’ll be needing it. I can’t afford to just rent a place in Italy, so I’ll get over the pity party. This is an amazing opportunity.” Charlie looked about as thrilled with it as she thought he would be. She was grateful for that call from Alice because she was sure whatever lie spewed out of her mouth would not have been believable. They finished dinner shortly after and then moved to the living room to watch sports.

Bella looked like she was absolutely miserable, and Blake found it absolutely hilarious. She and her sister were on complete opposite sides of personality. Blake took after their dad’s passions almost exactly. Bella did not. She wasn’t sure where Bella found her interests, but it wasn’t with Charlie. And she didn’t know Renée well enough to even take a shot at her personality.

Blake slept peacefully, her dreams serene with the three kings silently sitting on a balcony, never saying a word. When she woke up, she hesitated when she picked up her sketchbook. Her brain was telling her it was wrong to draw these real people, but then the fact that she liked to relax and draw her dreams won and she started sketching them. They looked very regal in that dream, looking every bit imposing as the vampire kings she now knew them to be.

She was invited to the Cullen house and as much as she was still mad at them for everything they did to her sister, she also wanted to be on good terms when she left. So, when Bella pulled up after school, she climbed into the truck and they were on their way.

Emmett was the one to lift her out of the truck. She shrieked as he hugged her but didn’t berate him for it. She laughed as he jogged up the steps. He deposited her on the couch.

“I claim Blake for video games.” Esme appeared and she smirked when jumped. “I mean, if that’s okay, of course.”

“She just got here,” Esme’s voice was soft as always and Blake cleared her throat and stood up.

“Esme, I want to thank you for helping me with my leg. You helped a lot.” Esme gave her a warm smile.

“Of course, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do for you. I want to help people, Blake. If I was able to help, even a little, then I accomplished what I wanted.” Blake gave her a hug, holding her tight. Esme returned it.

“Thank you,” She repeated. Once they disconnected, she flopped back onto the couch and raised a brow at Emmett. “Well? I do remember that I have the winning streak?” Emmett grinned and launched into setting up the game.

Blake felt the shift of danger increasing, comfort increase and she looked up, already knowing it was Jasper before their eyes connected. She motioned to the seat next to him which he wasted barely any time taking. They bumped shoulders and Blake caught the controller when Emmett tossed it to her.

“Out of luck, Jazz. Two-person game.” Jasper raised a brow.

“Was that a challenge?”

“If it was, don’t let me get caught in the middle of it.” They both turned to smirk dangerously at her. She raised both of her eyebrows staring back at them, despite all her instincts screaming that you don’t stare down apex predators.

Emmett ended up beating her four times in a row before she got really into it and then beat him. She ended up playing against Jasper as well and she never once beat him. She was sulking about it when Carlisle came home, greeting all of his family and gave her a bundle of shipping labels. She questioned him while she looked over them.

“For sending your belongings to Italy.” She nodded and thank him. Emmett glared fiercely at the floor.

“I don’t see why they want her. We can take them.”

“No, you fucking can’t,” Blake huffed, leveling Emmett with a stare.

“I’m inclined to agree with that, Emmett. Besides, they won’t hurt her,” Jasper said, sitting up straight. 

“How can you be so sure? They’re human eaters. She’s a human.” Blake could almost feel the calm move past her and attach to Emmett as the rest of the family came into the room.

“Emmett, she’ll be fine. The Volturi don’t want her dead. If they did, they would have killed her when we were all there,” Carlisle said calmly. Even as Emmett was obviously calmer, he still managed to point at her throat.

“And this?”

“That wasn’t something that was allowed to happen. They’ll be more careful when she’s a resident there.” Carlisle glanced at her when he said this. She knew he was trying to reassure her, but she honestly wasn’t scared about being there. Like something good was going to happen once she was there.

Her logical side had no idea what good could come of it, but it was still there.

She sent her stuff to Italy that night when Charlie came home. They packed up the boxes, slapped on the shipping labels, and took them to the post office. She went online that night, looked at the dates and booked her flight, only telling Charlie the date she picked.

However, Alice must have seen it coming because the next day, Saturday, Jasper and Emmett were banging on her door while she was making breakfast. Charlie answered the door and very begrudgingly led the two boys into the kitchen. He gave Blake a kiss on the forehead before leaving the three of them alone. She very pointedly continued to cook breakfast, even as she felt the danger intensify when they were in the room as opposed to outside.

“Were you going to leave without telling us?” Jasper asked, voice eerily calm and quiet. She did not turn away from the stove.

“While it would serve you right for leaving me without telling me, no. I was going to come and tell you on the way.”

“Why the hell are you leaving so soon?” Emmett barked. She sighed and turned off the stove, turning to look at them, leaning against the counter to take the weight off of her leg.

“Because. If I stay any longer then it’ll be harder to leave. It’s better to do it now rather than later when the memory of it fades to seem unreal. No, I need to go now.” Her dream about time-limits came to the forefront of her mind. She paused. What if that was about _her?_ What if they were so angry at each other because of how long it would take her to come back?

Well, Caius couldn’t be mad if it was, because her flight was leaving that night, and she’d be there exactly a week after she’d left. 

“You were coming to see us?” she nodded, and Jasper sighed, coming forward. She wrapped her arms around him, and he put his chin on top of her head. “Okay.”

Jasper and Emmett didn’t leave her alone for the rest of the day. They did go outside to give her privacy with her family. Bella was less than thrilled upon learning her flight left that night, but she assured her the sooner she got to the doctor, the better. Bella understood then. Blake would later question why she’d put her sister through that shock, but she didn’t then. Nor did she even realize why she was so eager to go back to Italy in the first place.

Jasper and Emmett stayed at the treaty line while Charlie drove Blake to Billy’s house later on in the day. Billy was less than pleased at her leaving so soon but was alright about it around Charlie. They did call ahead, so the whole pack was over there and she got to say bye to everyone while there.

They met up with Jasper and Emmett on the way to the Cullens and said goodbye to everyone there. Then they were on their way to the airport, and Emmett and Jasper very graciously carrier her bags into the airport. Bella was not one for hugs, but she nearly tackled Blake while waiting for her flight to take off.

Blake would have fallen had Emmett not caught the two of them. After a brief conversation with Bella and Blake making her swear to stay out of trouble, she moved onto giving Emmett a hug, which he immediately made into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. She laughed at this, and when was placed on her feet only for Jasper to pull her into a tight hug.

“Now, if they do give you any trouble, not that I think they will, you let me know _immediately._ ” She nodded against his shoulder, holding onto him as tight as she could, knowing there was no way in hell she could ever hope to hurt him. When they finally parted, she looked at her dad, desperately trying to memorize everything, just in case she didn’t get to come back. She knew she’d be able to see him, just it may never be in person again.

She collapsed into his arms, swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. For the first time in several days, she questioned why she was so ready to go to Italy when her entire life and family was here. She nearly broke then and there and called off the flight as she held onto her dad for dear life.

But she didn’t.

No, she got on that plane.

She managed to sleep during that flight and did have enough money to pay for the taxi to Volterra. The sun was down, so she was hoping she didn’t get snatched as a snack for any roaming vampires, especially when she hadn’t let them know she was coming so soon. She was antsy the entire time, feeling so much danger coming from the direction she was heading towards. But she knew she had to; she didn’t have a choice. But she was heavily questioning coming back so soon.

She carried her backpack and rolled her suitcases behind her when she got out of the taxi about a block away from the castle. It wasn’t exactly open to the public at night. She didn’t get far before Demetri appeared in front of her. He cocked his head to the side.

“We weren’t told to expect you.”

“Should I have called?” he merely stayed quiet, taking her suitcase from her, and was going to take her backpack but she shook her head, tightening her hands on the straps. She did let him have the carry-on, though. She limped after him into the parking garage doors. The actual driving entrance was closed, the door was locked as well, but he unlocked it. He led her through the halls, giving her occasional looks which she was sure was because of her racing heart.

They got to the same doors as before and he didn’t even get to touch them before the doors opened from the other side, Aro standing there with a huge smile on his face.

“ _Young Swan,_ how wonderful!” His voice was soft and quiet as he ran his eyes eagerly over her frame before raising a hand gracefully. She stared at it, trepidation at letting him through her mind again. The next words out of her mouth darkening his gaze immediately, smile drooping with it.

“Do I have to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support with this story so far. And for all of the comments! I do read them all, but I don't reply a lot because I am a very anxious person who doesn't know how to talk to people, but they are all very appreciated! Hope everyone continues to enjoy this story.


	16. Chapter 16

Blake’s pulse skyrocketed as the question left her mouth. She didn’t mean to actually ask that. It wasn’t helping her nerves that Aro had yet to move, eyes dark, mouth slightly parted, hand still outstretched,

Finally, he blinked, mouth snapping closed as he lowered his hand, sending her a small smile.

“of course, not, young Swan.” She nodded jerkily. He glanced at Demetri who immediately left. Aro held out his elbow which Blake slowly took. “Are you alright to walk or shall I carry you?”

“I can walk,” She growled. He nodded once and began leading her through the halls.

“How wonderful that you have returned so soon on your own. I thought we would have not seen you for several more weeks.” She glanced at him, the face she knew so well. He cut his eyes to her and she snapped her head back forward, watching the ground.

“Yeah, well, might as well come sooner rather than later.” She tensed when they approached a door, but Aro quickly led her past it. “what’s through there?”

“Nothing to worry your mind about so early in your stay here.” He led her towards a set of stairs and turned to her, his eyes wide with curiosity as they looked over her. “can you make it up this set of stairs?” She peered up at it. It was a spiral stone staircase, and she couldn’t see how many there were but knew that was a no. She shook her head slowly, already angry at herself again for not being better by now.

He swept her off her feet, his skin never touching hers as he blurred up the stairs. He set her on her feet, and she swayed, hands grabbing onto his arms to steady herself.

“I’m okay.” She said and took a step back, looking at the hall she was in. It was magnificent, several huge and fantastic paintings of different landscapes adorning the great wall. She turned back to Aro only to see his eyes were still on her, a wide smile on her face that would have sent shivers down her spine if she hadn’t seen the crazed smile all her life in her dreams. “thank you, by the way. For the paintings.” He nodded once, eyes soft on her as he swept his arm out.

“Shall we?” She nodded and he offered her his elbow once again. They didn’t walk far this time until he approached a door, which opened before they got it. Blake jumped when it did so because it opened in less than a second, and Marcus and Caius were both standing there, staring at her with black eyes.

“uh, hi? Should I bow?”

“no,” Caius snarled, and she felt cold fear spread through her at the sound, something she had never felt so strong in her dreams. She had always felt safe in those dreams.

She did not feel safe at the moment.

Marcus stepped forward, Caius taking one back.

“You’ll have to excuse his bad temper. Please, come in. You have nothing to fear from us.” She wasn’t so sure about that, but she nodded, dropping Aro’s arm, instead clutching the straps of her backpack as she hobbled into the room. The three kings gave her room as Marcus motioned to one of the chairs.

There were only four.

Something was telling her that was significant, but she couldn’t fathom how.

She sat in the chair, and immediately let out a quiet sigh at getting off her leg. She adjusted in the seat as she flicked her eyes between the three of them.

“What are you doing here so early?” Marcus asked as he sat in the chair directly across from her. The other two were closer to him than they were to her, making it seem deliberate.

“It’s been a week.” Her eyes went to Caius as she said this, trying to gauge any reaction from him to see if that dream about him saying no longer than a week was about her or not. But he simply moved to sit in the chair, eyes never leaving her.

“Yes,” Caius said slowly, “we were expecting you to take longer.”

“What? A month? Or,” she was definitely pushing her luck as she cut her eyes towards Aro who was watching with rapt attention. “the end of June?” That seemed to get all of their attention.

“perhaps. It would have made sense for you to try to stay for your sister’s graduation,” Aro said calmly, the smile never leaving. She figured that dream must have been nothing more if that didn’t get her being questioned. She also felt a pang of guilt and hurt knowing she wouldn't be there.

“I didn’t figure the vampire kings would take to being so patient for that.”

“You take us as impulsive?” Her eyes went back to Caius and she had to bite back her tone even though she desperately wanted to snap back at him. She just had to think of him like a drill sergeant: don’t take any tone with him, don’t snap at him, don’t make him mad. Out of the three of them, he seemed the most likely to attack.

“I take you as serious in what you do. The choice of coming back when I was ready was generous, but it’s your role to protect the vampire world. I was a liability away from Volterra.” His eyes narrowed at her. She tried to hide her yawn behind her hand and immediately rolled her eyes at the action. Hiding a yawn behind a hand did nothing when the only company present was vampires.

“How forgetful of me, you only just arrived. You need rest. We will talk more when you wake.” She protested but Aro was having none of it. He had her in her arms and was running before she could even hope to maybe argue her case.

She chose to glare at the wall when he set her down on a bed that seemed to be made of clouds. He backed away.

“This is your room now. Restroom,” he pointed to a door, before moving to point to another, “Closet. This room is much closer to us, no one will be able to get anywhere close to you with the intention to harm you. You have my word.”

“your w-” She cut herself off. She had to remind herself that she was only familiar with him because of her dreams. She couldn’t go around talking to him like he was anything less of the powerful king he was.

His smile fell as he tilted his head. “What is it? Finish your sentence.” When she stayed quiet, he narrowed his eyes. “It’s improper not too.”

Well, shit. She couldn’t exactly be improper with him. Even though it felt like a lie. She couldn’t exactly trust her judgment when it came to him, not when it was telling her she didn’t have to be terrified of him.

“I was just saying that your word doesn’t have much worth to me since we have only just met. But of course, it was wrong of me to speak of you in such-” He held up a hand and she silenced immediately, biting down on her lip. His brow furrowed as his hand blurred back down to his side, mouth pulled down in a small frown.

“Young Swan, I understand. I will prove my word to you. But, please, do not speak to us like that.” It was her turn to frown.

“Like what? You’re kings, how should I speak to you?” He smiled gently, eyes softening. He looked…charming.

“Blake,” her heart spiked. He had said her name before, only a couple of times, but it never sounded so soft as it did just then. “Do not speak to us like we are above you. Speak to us how you would speak to anyone else. We want to teach you of our world, of the world that you are now in. We cannot do that if you treat us as betters to you.” Her instincts kicked back in.

“That’s not the only reason.” He smirked.

“Of course not, you will find out the others in time. Here’s another: you will be such a great presence to have around. We have been looking forward to it, even Caius, though he may never admit it. Speak with us plainly. I will remind you if you need it, but I hope you won’t.”

“Isn’t that…improper?”

“Not at all. Don’t you worry yourself over matters such as what is proper and what isn’t. It matters not to you. Get some rest, we will talk more when you wake.” She nodded, plopping her backpack on the dresser next to the bed. She was already in comfortable clothes, so she slipped under the sheets, almost sighing at the smooth and cool silk. She bit it back though, well aware he would hear it and that would just be weird.

He moved towards the door.

“Good night, Aro.” He paused, turning his head back to her, even though she could barely make out any of his features with him away from her in the dark.

“Good night, young Swan.”

She almost couldn’t tell she was asleep for a solid minute. It felt way too real as compared to what it usually did.

The kings were in the room that she was in before Aro led her away. It looked exactly as it did then when she was awake. The three of them were in their seats, the same ones that they had taken up while she was actually there, and she was seated in hers. She was staring at them as they all exchanged glances.

Their seats were not in a row, instead slightly curved which allowed for them to all look at each other easily.

“She seemed to know, Aro. Did she?” Caius finally broke the silence.

“I have not looked into her thoughts since she’s been here.” Blake’s breath caught in her throat. They _had_ to be talking about her. She hadn’t touched Aro’s offered hand, and she had actively tried to provoke them with bringing up the dream she had before.

Had that dream happened? Or was her mind trying to trick her?

“What?” Caius snapped, and Marcus turned his eyes towards Aro quizzicality.

“She asked if she had to, and I fear it would only be detrimental of bringing up trusting relations with her if she had not wanted to. Therefore, I have refrained from it.” He raised a singular eyebrow. “Do not look so surprised. I do not have a habit of going through your thoughts either.”

“You did for several centuries,” Marcus’ voice was steady, eyes glinting at his brother. Not harshly, just knowingly.

“Yes, well, she-”

“Can we get back to the important part for now? We can address your strange behavior later. How does her gift work?” Caius interrupted and she rolled her eyes. Of course, he would. By Aro’s steel look, he didn’t appreciate it either.

“I know not. I am blind to anything regarding her gift. I am not even sure what it is she sees. Perhaps she can see into someone’s history,” he mused, before blinking rather harshly and turning his attention back to his brothers. “Perhaps requesting Eleazer’s presence wouldn’t be a terrible idea.”

“Is that all you are wondering about? Her gift?” Marcus’ voice was darker than any time she had ever heard. Since finding out he was real, she had heard him express more emotion and more say more than ever before. She wondered if there was a reason for it. She figured it couldn’t possibly be her.

“Of course not, though she has been dreaming of us for all of her life. Perhaps she wants to know the reason why even more than us.”

“Even more than _you,_ ” Marcus corrected. Aro merely smiled.

“You cannot honestly tell me you aren’t curious.” Caius suddenly was at the door, Aro, and Marcus on their feet as they stared at him. “Where are you going?”

“To see her.”

A few seconds passed before she was suddenly standing in the dark room in which she slept, the three kings against the wall, bathed in moonlight from the window. She turned her head and saw herself sleeping not so peacefully in the bed.

That was strange. But it also gave her the opportunity to look at herself from an outside perspective. She wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about having an out of body experience.

She found herself blinking awake, eyes going straight to the wall, but she didn’t see anything.

“Aro?” She whispered sleepily. No response. “Are you in here?”

She waited a moment and then sighed, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she squinted at the sunlight started filtering into the room. If her dream was real, it happened a while ago, seeing as it was very obviously still night.

She sat up and grabbed her bag and looked around the room. When she was satisfied that they _weren’t_ actually in the room, she grabbed her dream sketchbook and began drawing them, one at a time as how majestic they looked in the moonlight. Caius was in more of the shadows than the other two, so she had difficulty trying to get his features down well, but she managed.

When finished, she threw the sketchbook back into the bottom of the bag and went to the bathroom. She stopped immediately upon opening the door. The light turned automatically, illuminating the gigantic bathroom. It was not outdated but it was styled in a more rustic style complimenting the fact that it was in a literal _castle_ well. There was a huge open shower which she headed to immediately. There were no doors or curtains and had multiple shower heads, one coming from the ceiling, and two from opposite walls. She stripped out of her clothes after locking the door, out of habit more than the fact that it would keep anyone out.

She knew if someone in the castle wanted in, a simple piece of wood would not stop them.

She washed slowly, taking her time in the hot water. The shower had been stocked with foreign brands that smelled like her stuff back at home.

She came to a sudden realization that brought a blush to her face. It had been stocked specifically for her.

Because only Aro would know exactly what scent she likes seeing as he read all of her thoughts. And that’s what made her blush because that was a strange gesture for someone who was essentially only food. It felt nice that he did, even if Blake was confused as to why.

She frowned deeply when she was carefully washing her leg, her scars that covered the majority of her leg, and a portion of her side and back was so disgustingly obvious, that she rushed through the rest of her shower before turning it off. She stepped onto the tile floor carefully.

She groaned when she realized she didn’t grab any of her clothes before coming into the shower. She opened a cabinet, hoping there were towels in it, and she was not disappointed. There were large, red towels that were so soft she wished it was a robe so she could actually get away with wearing it in the room. She wrapped her towel around her and ventured back into the bedroom, hoping her bags were in the closet.

And they were, but that wasn’t what caused her eyes to widen and her to nearly drop her towel.

The entire walk-in closet -bigger than her room in Forks- was _full._ Her curiosity got the best of her as she reached for the article hanging closest to her, a black, floor lengths, silk dress. It was her size.

She ripped her hand back like she had been burned and walked over to her suitcase which was on a small bench. She opened it and got her clothes, reluctantly dropping the cloud made fabric and put on her clothes. She ventured back out of the closet and nearly had a heart attack at seeing Demetri standing at the doorway. He turned to look at her.

“Your presence has been requested by the masters.” She nodded, slipping on her shoes and followed him through the halls. He didn’t talk, and he was exuding as much danger as when she first met him.

He led her back to the room she was in the night before and she walked in. The three of them were in their seats and Aro gave her a warm smile as he stood and held out his hand. She almost made a remark about how he said she didn’t have to let him into her thoughts but stopped abruptly.

He was wearing gloves.

She reached out and he eagerly grabbed hold, giving a slight bow at his waist. “Young Swan, I hope you rested well,” his eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked up at her through his eyelashes. He stood up straight. “Please, sit.” She took her seat, her hand sliding through his.

All of their eyes were still pitch black as they looked at her. Caius did look slightly less angry with her presence. She couldn’t fathom why seeing as her presence really was nothing more than a nuisance to him. How could she be anything else? She was a human in a castle full of vampires.

“I hope you will heed my words from last night,” Aro said as he took his seat.

“What? To not talk to you guys like you’re not kings? I can certainly try, but I make no promises.”

“It would mean much to us. Give us a new breath of life, if you will.” Her attention went to Marcus as he spoke. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look like he wanted to spontaneously combust.

“Yeah, I doubt you invite very many humans into your home.”

“You would be the first that we didn’t have every intention of feasting upon,” Caius said. She nodded once. She was not shocked by the fact, but that he said it so nonchalantly made her realize something.

They killed innocent people all the time.

She signed up with the marines and then went after people who killed innocents.

And she didn’t feel scared with them, which is probably what made her the angriest. They had to have done something for it. If her dreams were anything to go by, they had all done terrible things. But she still wasn’t sure if her dreams were even real.

Just when she was trying to find words to respond, her stomach growled.

“Forgive me, dear, it slipped my mind that you need food. I’ll fetch you something quickly.” He was gone in a blur. She blinked stupidly at the closed door.

“You draw with great detail for someone who sees so little of it.” She turned her eyes to Caius.

“Thank you?” He nodded once, eyes never leaving her. “You suck at compliments.” He raised his eyebrows. She desperately wanted to make a vampire joke but wasn’t sure how he’d handle it. Oh, what the hell, “You’re a vampire so it makes sense you’d suck so much.”

Aro came in saving her from whatever reaction he would have. Aro had a tray of fruits and toast. He put in on the little table next to her seat, and she thanked him before she started eating, giving them looks as she did so. Because they kept staring at her.

She cleared her throat and turned to them, raising her eyebrows. “You want me to speak to you like you’re not kings? Fine. It’s weird for you guys to stare at me so intently while I’m eating.” Caius went to say something, but she turned back to her food, a small smirk gracing her face when she could see him glaring at her out of the corner of her eye.

He got up and left the room. She watched him go, a weird feeling sweeping through her, different than the one that was present any time she was near them.

She finished up eating and turned back to Aro and Marcus. “So, what’s going to happen while I’m here?” She asked the question that had been at the forefront of her mind. Aro smiled at her, his wide, creepy smile.

“Well, we’re not going to kill you if that’s what you’re worried about.” That statement would have meant something if not immediately she was slammed against a wall, an ice-cold hand around her throat.

Caius was glaring down at her, eyes black, lips spread back against his teeth as he growled at her, pure terror taking over her as she stared back into his eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Simultaneously, two, very furious, growls erupted from behind Caius. Blake’s eyes watered as she stared up at Caius, legs kicking against the wall, trying to find purchase.

“You’ve been _spying_ on us?” He growled lowly, teeth so close to her face that she felt the chill of his breath as he did so. She furrowed her brows, hands hitting his. His other hand came up, and her blood froze at seeing her sketchbook in it, quickly replaced with fury, terror sliding away as Aro and Marcus got closer.

Her good leg came up and wrapped around his elbow, which caused him to blink and look at it. Marcus’ hands wrapped around the one on her throat. Aro ripped him away and she collapsed into Marcus’ arms. She coughed and spluttered, all while glaring at Caius.

“You _went_ through my stuff?!”

“Explain!” He roared, fighting out of Aro’s grip. Several more blurs came into the room before Caius was suddenly on the ground. A hand landed on her shoulder, not as cold as Marcus’. She turned to see a young woman with black hair and narrowed red eyes touching her shoulder. She flinched but Marcus soothed her, passing her to the unknown vampire. She turned to watch him carefully.

“Stay with Renata.” He then disappeared in a blur to the other side of the room where Caius was still laying on the floor, eyes flickering around rapidly but not focusing on anything. A young boy with an almost black cloak was standing in the middle of the room, hands slightly raised. A hazy mist was leaving his hands, so slight that her eyes nearly missed it, but it was surrounding Caius.

Aro raised his hand and the boy’s hands dropped, the mist dispersing. Caius was on his feet in less than a second only to stop as Aro and Marcus grabbed a hold of him, a loud crashing sound echoing in the room making Blake wince.

The vampire, Renata, slowly started leading her to the door, only to stop and turn to Blake. “We are to stay here.” That was all she said, and Blake glared at where Caius was struggling in his brothers’ arms.

The young boy disappeared out of the door, the door closing after him.

“Blake, could you perhaps ease his mind?” Marcus suggested voice dark.

“I haven’t been _spying_ on you. Up until last week, I didn’t think you guys were _real!”_ Caius stopped struggling and the other two let go of him slightly. He immediately ducked under them and blurred towards her. She flinched, only to watch as he stopped short, walking in the opposite direction. She furrowed her brows and then looked at Renata.

“Was that you?” She nodded; eyes wide. Blake figured she wasn’t used to using her gift against her kings. Caius spun back around, blinking a couple of times, eyes wide as he looked at Renata. He said something in a language that she did not recognize, but it sounded like a curse.

“Caius. You know as well as we all do that people cannot control their gifts.”

“She’s been with the Cullens, who have defied us!”

“Caius. Look at the dates,” Aro said as he pressed her sketchbook back into his hands. “Even before she met the Olympic coven.” Caius closed his eyes, a loud sigh escaping him.

“You _fucker_ went through my stuff.” His eyes turned to her, “I didn’t spy on you, I don’t know how my dreams work. Don’t know if they’re real if they have happened if they will happen. _I don’t know.”_

“If that is all it was then why didn’t you _say something?_ ” His voice was tense, but not as much as a growl. Blake was still pissed as she pressed against Renata’s hand. His eyes went to it, and then immediately went to the floor.

“Because! Because I didn’t think that they were real until last _week!_ And then what was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, these dreams I’ve been having, are they real? Oh, my bad for peering into your lives.’ And you _did_ know that I had dreams of you, I told you that. So, what’s up with this hostility?” She barked.

“Why are you drawing them if not to pass on the information?”

“That’s none of your fucking business.”

“It is our business!” He roared, the sound reverberating through her even though he was a good six feet away from her. “You are drawing us, in the presence of those who oppose us.”

“First of all, Carlisle doesn’t oppose you. He respects you. Second of all, they don’t know about my dreams. I’ve been drawing my dreams since I was able to, it’s the reason I started drawing in the first place! I wanted to be able to capture the beautiful strange men in my dreams!” Her eyes widened at that last line. She did _not_ mean to say that.

“They were _my_ dreams, mine. That’s why I didn’t mention that I drew them. It is _none_ of your business.”

Caius was going to say something else, but Aro started speaking in the annoying way that only vampires could hear, so Blake was left to fester her anger in silence, her blood boiling as she glared at Caius. Caius left and Renata dropped her hand, immediately appearing by Aro’s side, fingers barely touching his shoulder. He said something else and she was gone too. 

Without Caius in the room, Blake’s anger faded away and she collapsed back into the wall, hand coming up to rub her neck. The last bruise had _just_ started fading. His grip wasn’t as tight as Athenodora’s was, but it still hurt like a bitch.

When she wasn’t mad, there was definitely going to be a vampire joke about necks.

Aro slowly walked back towards her. She glared at him. “You going to attack me because of my art, too?” He shook his head, mouth falling into a deep frown. She sighed, leaning her head back and sliding down the wall. “Sorry, that wasn’t fair of me.”

“You have every right to be wary. Caius and I will be having a long conversation, that you can be sure of.” She nodded once, glaring at the floor. Her sketchbook was suddenly in front of her. She looked up to Aro’s soft eyes and small frown. She smiled at him and gently took it from him. “I apologize for this.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him,” She said, closing the sketchbook shut with a snap. “But I don’t understand. You all know that I’ve been dreaming about you for years. What was he so pissed about?” Thankfully, it didn’t hurt to talk any more than it had been.

“Caius has the habit of assuming the worst. Like he just did with you, thinking you’d spy on us. That was unfair and uncalled for. I am sure he is seeing the error in what he did.”

Blake was fuming. She came here, without having to be reminded. She was honest with them about their questions. She hadn’t once complained to their faces about being ripped from everything she had known, but Caius had the _audacity_ to attack her _and_ accuse her of spying on them.

She really wanted that grenade.

After she had calmed down and managed to not glare at the two kings, Aro had to leave, leaving just her and Marcus. She was sulking, and she asked if she could get her laptop, which Marcus told her Demetri would get it for her. He did bring it to her, along with her phone. She wrote up a short email to tell her dad that she made it to Italy okay and would call him later once she got a better grasp on the time zone.

She wanted to hold off sending an email to Bella, not ready for her interrogation that Bella was sure to give, so she simply asked her dad to pass on the message. She then was just mindlessly looking over her stuff, trying to ignore Marcus’ stare on her. Several hours later, he left to go get her lunch. She snapped her laptop closed and opened the door. Demetri was standing there. He turned to her.

“Something you need?” She slowly shook her head and closed the door. She was starting to feel like a prisoner. She turned and walked to the bookshelves. A lot of the books were very obviously very old.

She went to grab one when she felt the danger in the room shift. She froze the strange feeling that only accompanied the three kings. She had a feeling it wasn’t Marcus with her food.

“What do you want?” She asked quietly, lowering her hand away from the books. She did not make any move to turn around, though.

“How’s your throat?” he no longer sounded like he wanted to tear her head from her shoulders.

“Fine.”

“Would you look at me?” His voice deepened slightly.

“Why? Want to see yours and the blonde’s handiwork together?” Immediately she found her front gently pressed against the bookshelf, Caius’ cool body behind her pressing her into the shelf. Not painfully, just enough that she knew she couldn’t getaway. She was confused at feeling hard defined muscles against her, seeing as she didn’t think vampires had them.

Now is _not_ the time for Blake to be wondering about vampire anatomy. Not when his cool breath was hitting her ear in quick, short pants.

“Don’t compare her to me. I protected you from her.” His voice was only slightly away from a growl, and she clutched the shelf to stop her hands from shaking at it.

“Yeah? And your brothers protected me from _you.”_ He didn’t say anything for a moment.

“I am a king, in charge of protecting my kind and my coven. I assumed.”

“Caius, that was not a king’s thinking,” She could practically feel his anger, so she hurried to finish, “But you’re a warrior, right? Or, at least, you were a warrior. I can recognize that mode of thinking. An unknown walks into your territory with information that you don’t understand. You made a reasonable conclusion.” His breath evened out.

“What I don’t understand is why you got so _mad_. You knew I’ve been dreaming of you. I told you that. I don’t get it.” She didn’t get an answer because his presence was suddenly gone. She spun around only to see Marcus walk in, the door quietly clicking shut behind him. He had a tray, on it was a large chicken salad and what smelled like freshly brewed tea. She smiled at him as he set it on the table.

“You are more than welcomed to read anything you wish. I do believe you are more likely to find something you can read in the library. If you’re interested, of course.” She nodded as she walked away from the bookshelf, stretching her fingers now that she no longer had a death grip on the shelf.

“I like reading. You guys don’t read much English, do you?” She asked as she began eating, not as uncomfortable with just him, and that they were talking this time. She was remembering the books that showed up in her dreams, and she couldn’t remember seeing much English.

“We read many languages. I believe I have the most English texts. Do you speak any other languages?” She shook her head, taking a sip of her drink.

“I know the basics of Hebrew, a six-year-old girl taught me.” Her smile faded a little at the memory of that little girl, but she quickly pushed the thought aside and continued eating. “But not enough to hold a long conversation. Can’t read it at all.” He nodded once.

“I could teach you if you’re interested.” Her eyes lit up as she paused her eating.

“really? You mean it?” He nodded and she nodded enthusiastically. “Which language would you teach me? I’ve always wanted to learn so many, not a lot of teachers or people to practice within Forks.” They chatted intermediately about what languages he could teach her, the ones that may be easier coming from speaking strictly English.

She definitely wanted to learn Italian since she was living in Italy. She wanted to learn the language Caius always spoke in her dreams, he always made it sound fantastic and she fucking wanted to understand what they talked about in her dreams. But…she didn’t mention that.

Marcus led her back to her room when she was finished eating.

“I do not want you to feel like a prisoner, lady Swan. That is not what you are. However, you are not to leave this room without one of my brothers or I, or Demetri. It’s for your own safety. Nothing is allowed to happen to you, but accidents do happen.”

She nodded, even though she did very much feel like a prisoner. Demetri standing guard at the door when Marcus left is what solidified that feeling. She trudged around her new room, quite mad about it. She ignored whatever pain her leg was giving her, instead looking down at her dream sketchbook which she had yet to put down.

She threw it across the room, it landing on the floor by the bed with a thump. She groaned, sliding down the wall to the ground. She was mad at Caius; she was mad he went through her stuff. But she also understood, and something in her didn’t want to be mad at him and that made her more mad. She deserved to be mad.

When a knock sounded on her door and it opened, revealing the man-err- _vampire_ himself, she scowled. Caius stood straight, his black cloak billowing around him in a way she could appreciate if she wasn’t currently thinking on how she could put a grenade on him without him realizing it.

His hood was down, and he looked at her before turning back around and raising his hand, motioning with his fingers. “Come.” Her scowl deepened but she forced herself off the ground and started following him. Demetri was watching them closely from his position at the opposite side of the hall, only to go back to staring at the door with a single look from Caius.

Blake wouldn’t admit it, but she was about ready to fall over. Caius seemed to walk forever before stopping in front of a set of grand double doors. He raised his hands to the doorknobs and stopped, turning his head to her.

“I understand you have an appreciation of art.” She nodded and the corner of his lips turned up as he threw the doors opens, motioning for her to continue in.

“You’re not about to murder me, are you?” She jabbed, looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t risk you messing up anything in here.” She nearly fell over when she could detect amusement in his voice. She nodded, a small smile on her face as she stepped in. She froze.

The entire room had murals, and separate canvases painted remarkably well. In the far corner by several windows covered in red curtains, was a painting station. She turned; the rest of the very large room was filled with completed artworks. There was only one section of the wall that didn’t have a mural on it.

The furthest wall from her was a magnificent painting of the three kings, probably about two hundred years ago, if their clothes were anything to go by. She turned her amazed eyes to Caius, easily the most magnificent work of art in the room. He was watching her, eyes soft.

“It’s been a while since anyone has looked at my work like that.”

“You’re a _painter?”_ She didn’t originally picture him as one, but she could see it now. She watched as he turned his eyes to the blank spot for a brief moment before looking back at her. The doors were shut, she hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t sound so surprised.” His voice was almost as soft as his eyes. She looked back around. “And don’t think this is something I show to everyone.”

“Is this your way of apologizing?” He didn’t say anything, but that was still an answer. It was definitely an apology, then. She turned back around; hand raised to a stack of paintings as she turned her head to him. He nodded, and she began flicking slowly through the canvases. They were a variety of different styles, all done remarkably well. She froze when she got to one about halfway through.

It looked like a photo, of a sunset very similar to the one which was Aro’s gift to her…

“You painted those glass panels?” She breathed.

“Yes.” His voice was directly behind her and was followed shortly by the cold that accompanied him as he stood close enough for her to feel his cloak. “Did you like them?” He whispered into her ear, his hand coming to take the canvas from under her hand. She nodded wordlessly as he picked up the canvas, holding it up in front of her with both hands, trapping her between his arms.

It was a beautiful painting, had a sunset over a barn in the distance, very detailed trees and grass around the picture. “You’re very talented,” she paused, cutting her eyes to him over her shoulder, mouth turning into a smirk. He raised a brow in response, black eyes sparkling at her. “ _That_ is how you give a compliment.” He rolled his eyes, a smirk of his own now on his face.

“You are welcomed to use the supplies in here.” While it wasn’t anywhere near a compliment, she could still tell that he meant it as one. She had a feeling he didn’t allow many people in here; he had told her that, probably only a very select few would be given the opportunity to actually _use_ his creative space.

He let her wander throughout the room for a while, silently following her, stabilizing her when she fell. She expected a smart comment at that but was only met with concerned eyes. More than once she saw him staring at her neck with a dark expression. It kinda resembled remorse. But those instances never lasted long enough for her to get a proper look.

She knew it though. His bringing her here was his apology, and it was a loud one. He was allowing her to go through and look and touch his artwork. There were several piles that he would steer her away from and did not respond to any of her questioning looks she sent him.

She finally asked about the blank spot on the wall.

“I’ve waited a long time for the inspiration to come. Now that I have found my lovely muse, I now wait for her to instruct me.” She found that a really sweet way to say he was stumped.

She motioned to the curtains. “Windows?” He looked uncomfortable but nodded.

“If you ever decide to come in here to work, you are more than welcomed to open them.”

“What? The big bad vampire not a fan of sunlight?” She teased him. He huffed, standing up straighter.

“Are you aware of what my kind looks like in the sunlight?” She nodded. “Then you are aware as to why I keep the curtains. It wouldn’t do well if people in the city saw. I open them occasionally during nightfall.” She nodded and moved onto a stack of wood panels which had been eloquently carved into. She turned her head and frowned. It looked like something had been hanging against the wall for a long time and been moved. She pointed at it.

“An old portrait of our family. It is due for a new one.” She nodded even if she didn’t understand it. Vampires didn’t change, so what was there to change.

“Family? Carlisle said you guys prefer the term coven.” His eyes darkened slightly and his relaxed expression slightly hardened.

“Tell me what he told you the difference was.” She recognized an order when she was given one. Her shoulders squared and she nodded.

“He said families are closer, and that being a family allows them to be excluded from some things that covens participate in.” Caius scoffed a sarcastic smile on his face. It showed his teeth, and her extra weird supernatural sense thing sent a spark of fear through her.

“Carlisle has always loathed our lifestyle. It is what we are meant to do. No, families are no closer than covens. Covens, like ours, require absolute trust.” For some reason, she found that ironic. She figured it had something to do with them being people eaters.

Oh, but she was mistaken, and when she found out the reason for that irony, it would threaten everything that she will have come to know. But that was a problem for future Blake.

Right now, Blake was watching Caius with her full attention. “As for our _family,_ that is the inner coven: my brothers and I and our future…spouse.” His attention was heavy on her. She nodded once, but couldn’t stop a wave of suspicion that rolled over her.

“So…why redo the portrait of your family if it’s just the three of you?”

“new style.” That was a total lie and she could feel it. She’d always been good at telling when someone was lying. And that was a _complete and total_ lie. But she wasn’t going to question him. Not when she could still practically feel his hand gripping her throat. She ran her fingers over one of the paintings lightly.

“Do you use oils?”

“When I have the patience for it.”

“You do _this_ with acrylics?” She couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice, and he smirked.

“I have had a long time to perfect my methods.”

“Oh, I just stoked your already large ego. Great.” She rolled her eyes but didn’t stop the little laugh that left her.

When he was leading her out of the room when she _needed_ to get off of her leg, he turned to her as he closed the door.

“Still angry with me?”

“Yes. But I’ll consider not.” He shook his head, leading her back down the halls and to her room. “Thank you, Caius.” She didn’t bother trying to read the expression that went across his face as she walked into her room and closed the door.

She couldn’t keep the giddy smile from appearing on her face.

This was a good way to end a shitty day.


	18. Chapter 18

Blake slept terribly that night, only to wake up to her phone ringing at half-past five in the fucking morning. She groaned, rolling over and grabbed it.

“Hello?” She groaned.

“Blake? Did I wake you?” She sighed hearing her dad’s voice and rubbed her face with her hand.

“It’s okay. What’s up?”

“I was just wanting to check up on you. I got your email. Bella still wants you to call her.”

“Yeah, I’ll get on that. Here’s a thought. How about you get her to call me when she wakes up in the morning so it’s not still sleeping time.” She felt the energy of the room shift and she froze, looking between her fingers at Aro standing in her doorway. “Hey, dad, I’ll call you back later. Love you.”

“Love you.”

She snapped her phone shut and sat up, squinting at him. Something didn’t seem…right. She could see his eyes, red for the first time since she had physically met him. She couldn’t make out what he was wearing, but she knew that it wasn’t his usual black cloak.

But that wasn’t all that was wrong. The energy of the room did not feel like it usually did with him. There was always that strange unnamable feeling, an unfounded sense of belonging, and fear. None of that was here. If she had to name the feeling, the closest term she could get was reminiscent.

But it was much more than that. It just didn’t feel like Aro. If anything, it felt like the Aro from her dreams. More safety, more mysterious.

“What’s up?” her voice crackled, still thick with sleep. He didn’t respond, merely walking to the window. She was indeed right. He was not wearing his usual cloak; he was wearing something that must have been from a time that she had never learned about. It was riddled with dirt and ash. She slid out of the bed and started walking over to him. The closer she got, she felt _terrified_ and not of him, but it felt like it was coming _from him._ “Is something wrong?”

The closer she got, the more _wrong_ the whole situation felt. It felt like she was missing something big. Another thing, besides his dirty and old clothes, was the fact that there was no light coming from the window, despite it being sunrise time. She could see something flickering in the reflection of his eyes and looked out of the window that overlooked a large courtyard and could barely see the city.

The entire city was consumed by fire.

She screamed.

All of a sudden, she got really lightheaded and fell, hitting the ground hard. Aro seemingly disappeared into a cloud of smoke. A dark mist moved away from the window, bathing the room in sunlight. She furrowed her brows, blinking hard trying to clear her head.

The weird feelings of safety and a little fear attached to her only a second before three pairs of freezing hands grabbed hold of her. She blinked at Aro. His lips were moving but she heard nothing. She looked down at his chest where her hand was.

“you changed.” She sounded fucking drunk. Her head lolled back, no strength left in her neck. She wasn’t even aware when one of them started moving, but she found herself in a bed, nowhere near as soft as hers.

She looked through blurry eyes at the three kings. She couldn’t make out anything else about them, just that they were there. And for some strange reason, that distracted her from the fear of the fact that she couldn’t move and could barely see.

She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she felt wrong, with a need to call for help, but she suppressed it as she looked around. She was on a bed farthest away from a large set of double doors, rows of beds just like hers in the room. Hers was the only one occupied. On the wall opposite her, there was a single door. She had seen infirmaries before, and that is obviously what this was.

She became acutely aware of an iv in her arm, as she glared at it when it snagged when she moved to sit up. She looked up, seeing a bag of fluid hanging from a post. She tried to figure out why her instincts were telling her to yell out.

She didn’t have to question it for a long because the feeling intensified tenfold when the small door in front of her opened. A tall, skinny, and very pale vampire walked out wearing dark clothes and a white lab coat over it. He had long dark hair -that looked black or deep purple depending on how the light hit it-in a high ponytail. As he smiled at her, the wrongness Blake felt intensified, and she glared at him as he got closer.

“Good to see you are awake-” he got to the foot of the bed and she shot up.

“Get away from me! ARO!” His eyes widened and he raised his hands backing up quickly. Her breath was ragged as she stared at him, the feeling to get away from him right this moment too strong to even question why she yelled for the Volturi king.

The comforting and still weird feeling that always accompanied him soon overwhelmed her as he blurred into the room, stopping next to the bed. She threw herself at him, and he caught her, holding her close to him.

“Did he harm you?” She was shaking but tried to think of the question. She shook her head slowly after a moment. When she stopped shaking, breathing in his scent against his chest, her head cleared, and she back up. He let her go but kept his gloved hands on her shoulders.

“This is Anatoly. He’s a doctor. Can you please get back on the bed before you fall over?” She nodded and with his help, lowered herself back onto the bed. Aro kept his black eyes on her face and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Why am I in here?”

“You screamed in your room and then passed out. What happened?” she furrowed her brows and thought of how to explain what happened. Because, one thing for sure, whatever it was that had just happened, it wasn’t Aro that was in that room.

“Can-can you go get my sketchbook?” He nodded once, looking over his shoulder. She followed his line of sight. Anatoly was standing stock straight against the wall, palms still raised towards her.

“Will you be alright?” She nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He nodded and blurred out of the door. She turned her head to Anatoly. “Sorry.”

“It is quite alright.” But he did not move from his position on the wall. Blake felt the safety coming back stronger than it was and turned her head, and Caius and Marcus walked in, crossing the room to her in large strides.

“what happened?” Caius demanded and she shrugged, mouth opening and closing. He furrowed his brows, eyes barely concealing his concern. Aro came back in and handed her the sketchbook and pencil, and she adjusted against the bed and winced. She looked passed the three kings and looked at Anatoly.

“Can you move this iv?” He nodded and came closer. Blake almost missed the way the three kings tensed as he came closer. Almost. He stood still while the kings slowly parted. He walked over, gauze in his hand. He looked to the kings saying something too quiet for human ears.

Blake did notice the kings’ eyes darkened even more, though, even if she hadn’t thought that would be possible. Anatoly quickly extracted the iv and taped the gauze to her, faster than she could even worry about feeling it slide out.

He walked around the bed, taking the pole with him. He put a new iv in her other arm and hooked it up the bag. She gave it a questioning glance.

“It’s just to hydrate you.” He blurred back to the other side of the room, and she adjusted her arms, opening the sketchbook to a blank spread. On the right side, she started the image she saw at the window before she collapsed. She drew furiously across the page a sense of impeccable doom surrounding her as she remembered the view.

When she finished with that, she started on the left page, only hesitating to draw him for a moment when Aro was literally watching her, but she quickly brushed it aside and began drawing. She focused mostly on his clothes as opposed to her usual drawings of him which she mostly focused on their faces.

When she finished, she reached out, handing it to him. She pulled the blanket up around her, watching the three of them look at it. Marcus snapped his head up.

“May I look through these?” She lazily motioned with her hand.

“May as well. You guys have already seen several.” Marcus nodded and gingerly began flipping through it, the other two watching it from either of his sides. She fiddled with her blanket trying not to think of their perfect eyesight ripping apart her very not perfect art.

Finally, he turned it, revealing an artwork of them at their thrones, the room was mostly empty except for a few figures dressed in black cloaks. He pointed against a painting.

“We have not had that painting in over three hundred years.” She furrowed her brows and Aro had a large smile on his face.

“I do believe we have just figured out your gift. You can peer into the past. This would have been between 1655 and 1675.” He said, coming to stand closer to her as he took the sketchbook from Marcus. He pointed to one of the figures. “We tried a new formation in those years which would have put Alec right here. No one else would have been there.” He flipped to her newest drawing, the one she just finished for them.

“This was in the year of 1000. The entire city was torched. It was shortly put out, but it did not stop many from losing their lives or for…” His voice suddenly became quieter, more forceful. “There was also a time as I was staring out of this window that I thought we would not be living through the night.”

She understood why she felt terrified, then. But the information that she could see into the past wasn’t making much sense to her. Maybe it would if she was more familiar with the supernatural, but she wasn’t. And it didn’t make sense.

“But, how can I see the past?”

“How can Marcus see bonds? How can I see everyone’s thoughts with a touch of the hand? We know not. They are gifts.”

“Maybe.” She was going to have a hard time accepting that as a _gift._ Her dreams were always what she held on to. When she found out that they were, in fact, _real,_ that broke her down. They were supposed to be the one thing that was hers and _hers alone_.

This supposed gift of hers told her she had nothing to fear from them and Caius had attacked her the first day at the castle. If this was a gift, why wasn’t it being consistent or registering with commonsense and logic?

“Does this mean all of my dreams are of you in the past?”

“It seems that way. We recognize these instances.” Aro flipped through a couple more pages and froze, a small smile on his face. She peered at it. It was the drawing of him in the sunlight in the garden. “This is quite a gift.”

“But, then why you three? They are never of anyone else.” She _really_ wanted to know that. It couldn’t have been for no reason.

Caius went to say something, but Marcus turned to him. Blake furrowed her brow, but Aro’s hand landed gently on her arm. “I have confidence that you will come to know.”

“That’s not a fucking answer.” She froze, waiting for a reprimand, but Aro simply nodded.

“Of course, it is. Young Swan, gifts take time to learn and master.” Even though his voice was calm, she could not stop but thinking there was more to it than that. It felt like they knew more.

She was left to her own devices the kings being called to trial. Anatoly brought her some food and told her to eat. She didn’t have much of an appetite, she felt uneasy alone with Anatoly. Not that she feared him, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t put a finger on why he made her uneasy.

She figured it was because he was a vampire she did not know.

After Blake had picked at the food for a good twenty minutes, Anatoly sighed and moved the plate away from her. He disappeared into a room and came back with a large file in his hands. He came to the side of her bed, pulling up a stool to sit on. Blake felt slightly more at ease when he was no longer standing.

He sent her a gentle smile, and she forced herself to return it. “I know you are not very comfortable with me. It’s understandable, given the circumstances. But I’d like to discuss something with you.” She nodded and he smiled, motioning to the thick folder in his hands.

“Master Aro took the liberty of having your medical records sent to me. I haven’t looked at them yet. He thinks that I may be able to help your situation, but I will not look unless you allow me to.” Her eyes brightened with hope that was quickly put out. She frowned.

“My injury is too bad… the military doctors said there was nothing to be done.” Anatoly did not lose his gentle smile, but his red eyes glinted.

“Maybe not for the standard doctors. I have been one for a very long time and have proved myself a very capable doctor. There may or may not be something I can do for you; I won’t know until I get an understanding of the extent of your injuries. Aro only told me the basics. He told me you had an injury to your leg that caused enough damage to cause regular spasms and has greatly impaired your ability to walk.” He tapped the file with his fingertips. “If you give me the permission to open this, I will be able to tell you if I can do anything about it.”

She was silent, watching him with wide eyes. It seemed surreal that after over a year someone was telling her that they may be able to do something. She had no problem selling that lie to Charlie because it was something, she had hoped to one day be possible, but the fact that someone was actually presenting it to her, was making her head swim. Well, that, and the fact that Aro had apparently orchestrated this without telling the doctor anything too personal about it.

“Okay.” She breathed and his eyes brightened. “yeah, okay.” Her voice was louder. Anatoly smiled at her reassuringly before he opened the file. Her eyes tried to follow it, but he quickly flipped through the pages, so fast it was just a blur. When he closed his file, he looked up.

“May I examine your leg?” When she nodded, he disappeared and quickly reappeared causing her to jump. He had a hospital gown in his hands. When he handed it to her, a curtain suddenly appeared around her. She huffed.

“You don’t even try to be human, do you?” He had used his speed so often. The kings didn’t pretend to be human, but they didn’t exactly try to not be either. But they hadn’t used it so much around her. It was dizzying, seeing the difference between these vampires and the Cullens. The Cullens were pretty much constantly pretending to be human, and very seldom even showed the vampiric side to them.

She dressed in the gown, before shimming out of her pants. She called to tell him she had changed, as she plopped gently back onto the bed, still feeling kinda weak. He moved the curtain back enough to walk in and began examining her leg.

She had plenty of doctors poke and prod at her leg, but that never did anything to stop the shame that spread through her every time that someone saw her scars. It was horribly disfigured. She hated it. It was a physical reminder of her failure.

She glared at the curtain as he examined her leg. Him touching her skin, even with him wearing latex gloves, made her skin crawl. Like his hands didn’t belong on her. He moved back out of the curtain telling her she can redress. She quickly did so. He pushed the curtain away and removed his gloves. He reclaimed his seat, holding the file in his hands. He went to say something but silenced, looking towards the double doors at the same instance she could feel the very powerful sense of comfort.

The doors opened and Aro came in, smiling brightly when he met Blake’s eyes. This time, when she reciprocated, it wasn’t forced. He came to stand by her side, gloved hand falling on her elbow.

“You told him?” He suddenly looked kinda sheepish.

“Just the basics.” She pat his hand on her arm and he brightened as she mouthed a thank you. She turned back to Anatoly. He then said the words which almost caused her face to split with a smile.

"I think I can help."


	19. Chapter 19

Blake was kept in the infirmary overnight just so Anatoly could make sure that she just collapsed out of exhaustion, and then was released right after she ate breakfast. Anatoly figured that the only reason that she collapsed is that her body is only used to her gift working when she was asleep, and so when it activated when she was awake, her body got confused and tried to go back to normal circumstances.

She limped behind Demetri to her room and went in to take a much-needed shower. This time, she remembered to take clothes into the bathroom. When she came out, fluffing her hair with a towel and looked up, looking at Marcus. He gave her a small smile which she returned.

“Would you walk with me?” She tested her leg.

“I want to, but I don’t think I can walk very far today. My leg is kinda hurting today.” He nodded and motioned for her to walk. She grabbed some shoes and began walking next to him. Marcus offered his arm. She took it and he began walking her through the halls. She didn’t see Demetri, but she could feel the danger he exuded. She turned to him.

“Is Demetri following us?” Marcus turned to her, a brow raised. She blushed and shrugged. “Sorry, it just feels like he is. Either him or someone else.”

“Yes, Demetri and my personal guard are accompanying us. They are far enough to give us privacy but close enough to aid if there was need of them.” She nodded, turning her head but still didn’t see anyone.

They didn’t walk long before they got to a staircase and he offered to carry her which she gratefully accepted. Once at the bottom, though, he didn’t set her down, continuing walking through the many halls, his pace slower than she knew he could walk while still being human pace.

She didn’t question it.

He did put her down at a very large and very fancy door. He opened the door and she walked in with wide eyes. It was the library, and it was large, she had seen it before, of course, but seeing it with her eyes instead of in her dreams which was much different.

The library seemed to be endless, several floors of nothing but shelves and shelves of books.

She felt his eyes on her and turned to him. Seeing him looking like something other than depressed was still so shocking to her. She smiled at him as he gazed gently at her.

“How many books are here?”

“I’ve never counted. I know every book I’ve brought here, but that is not many compared to what Caius brought. The rest of the coven are welcomed to and have brought many. None of us together can compare to the vast number that Aro has compiled both here and his personal library. I wouldn’t be surprised if he owns a copy of every book. He has several other locations where he keeps possessions, and he rotates it out occasionally.” She nodded thoughtfully, craning her neck to look up.

The ceiling was so high up, multiple levels of the library with sweeping staircases leading from the current floor to the next. The rest of the floors didn’t seem to have any visible stairs.

“Would you like to read something specific?” She turned to him.

“Maybe you could start teaching me Italian?” He smiled and nodded, leading her to a chair at a table and sat across from her.

Blake spent the day avidly talking with Marcus in the library. In between him teaching her pronunciation and different greetings and phrases in Italian, he asked her about her life. She had no problem answering his questions, and she cataloged her own questions away for later because she was much too happy with having him talking to her and didn’t want to ruin it. Since she had never seen him speak so much, she didn’t want to make it go away with her questions.

He didn’t get her lunch, and Blake didn’t even know if he said anything, but Demetri came in several hours later with a plate of food for her. She moved away her book- which all she was doing was staring at since it was in Italian-and began eating. They talked for a while before Marcus decided she was too tired after she yawned six times in less than a minute. He carried her to her room.

When he put her in her bed and wished her a good night's sleep. She thanked him and was asleep before he was even out of the door.

The kings were in a room she didn’t recognize in this dream. It was almost bare except for a few boxes. Their eyes were dark as Caius turned to Aro.

“This is quite the surprise.” Caius glared at Aro’s words, glancing around the empty room causing Blake to frown and turn around. There was nothing in the room. She turned back to them, seeing Caius growl something at Aro. Marcus scoffed.

“Caius, we have nothing to hide from her.” Blake frowned at this, knowing at once that they were talking about her. She could feel that fact in her soul. Caius once again spoke, this time audible to her, but in a different language.

“Brother, I understand your reasoning, but even if she does see this, we are not discussing anything that should be kept from her,” Aro said. “Speak in English.”

“Fine,” Caius said. His voice was tense, but not so much angry.

“If her gift does then when she is awake once more, what would happen if she were to be alone?” Marcus asked.

“Demetri is her guard.”

“Demetri is her _temporary_ guard, and he has responsibilities that may call him away.” Aro frowned but did not try to interrupt Marcus. “She needs someone _assigned_ _to_ _her._ If she were to have another one of her visions while in the halls, and she loses consciousness again, she could seriously injure herself. We can not allow that to happen.” Aro and Caius both nodded.

“She can take Afton,” Marcus continued. “His talent would also be useful if, for whatever reason, a situation arises in which she needs protection we can not provide,” His voice was not the only one that growled and she nearly jumped out of her skin to see all three of them looked absolutely murderous at the prospect of her needing protection and she furrowed her brows, a nagging feeling pulling at her brain. Something was going on here, and she wanted to know what it was.

 _“We will tell her, brothers, but not yet.”_ That was Aro’s voice, but she jumped because he had not spoken. This felt older like it belonged before this conversation ever happened. Something was telling her to grab onto that.

“I’ll give her Renata.” This caused her to drop that feeling and turn to Aro with wide eyes. Marcus and Caius simultaneously looked shocked and not shocked at the same time, and she was so confused about how that was possible.

“You’re going to what?” She shrieked, temporarily forgetting that they can’t hear her in her dreams. She had become used to them hearing her in her waking life.

“Aro, are you sure?”

“She needs to be protected. Renata’s gift has already been useful,” Aro said, expression neutral but Caius still winced, eyes going to the floor.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“You know how her gift works as well as I do, brother.” There was silence for a moment before Caius spoke.

“I’ll go through my personal guard and determine who is better suited for hers. I think I’ll even ask her opinion on it. I think that she would like to choose.”

The room seemed to glitch, before it faded away to a very large bedroom, the large window doors opened to a balcony where the glittering of vampire skin caught her attention. She walked through the room, stopping in the doorway to the balcony that looked over a large expanse of cliffs, and she could hear the crashing of waves not too far off.

She froze, a pang running through her chest.

Aro was in a reclined chair and had a woman with dark, curly hair in his lap, him laughing and smiling at her as the sun reflected off of them both. She couldn’t hear a word they were saying, but by the way his hands were suggestively stroking her back and thighs, she could probably warrant a guess or two.

The tightness in her chest increased upon watching one of his hands come up to grip her by the back of her neck and he pulled her down to him in a passionate kiss.

Blake gasped and moved back, turning her eyes away from them. After a moment she turned back at hearing a very feminine giggle. Blake slowly moved forward and ended up seeing the gorgeous face of the vampire as she stared down at Aro with a heat so intense that had Blake blushing. She closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up. This was different than any of her other dreams, this was _way too personal_.

Blake woke up in a cold sweat, her hand resting over her heart as if that could stop the incredibly painful tightness there. She knew it was nothing physical, but the sight of Aro with that woman-no, vampire- made her chest ache and it made her mad at herself.

Because of course, she would do something stupid like get feelings for him. A vampire. A _vampire king._ A _Volturi_ vampire king.

Holy shit.

She threw the blankets off of her and rushed as fast as she could with her leg hurting. She slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it, moving to stand at the counter with her hands on it, leaning heavily over it.

She picked her head up when tears began prickling in her eyes. As she stared into her rapidly reddening eyes, her resolve began to break. Because she just realized she had begun to have _feelings_ for him.

And he was already involved with someone. Those looks were much more than just a fling. The air around them felt much more than just a fling.

How could she be so _stupid?_

She glared at her reflection, fists tightening against the marble counter. She huffed and didn’t even register when her fist connected with the mirror. She only registered the fact that she suddenly was glaring at her broken reflection.

Not even a second later, the door hit the wall, broken lock hanging uselessly from it, the danger of the room increasing as Demetri appeared beside her. She jumped, fist coming up on instinct. He caught her elbow and frowned at her.

“Did you just…punch the mirror?” She froze

“err…no?” he sighed and pulled her with him. She stumbled and winced over the pain in her leg. He stopped and turned to her, a washcloth suddenly in his hands as he wrapped it around her fist. She looked back at the mirror and realized that she was, in fact, bleeding. She figured that’s why he felt more dangerous than usual.

He scooped down and picked her up without warning and disappeared out of the door. She yelped and clutched the front of his cloak as he ran through the halls. It took almost a minute before she was placed onto the same hard bed she had been in before. Demetri disappeared and Anatoly took his place. She jumped and he apologized with a smile. He motioned to her hand and she raised it to him. He unwrapped it and she winced at the pulling the fabric made against the cuts on her knuckles.

“Punch a mirror?” The way he said it made it sound like he already knew the answered so Blake just shrugged. He got to work without either of them saying anything. He removed several small shards of glass, including some she couldn’t even see.

And while she knew under normal circumstances, the skin would have been left alone, not enough to warrant any kind of sutures, but he did adhere the skin back together in certain parts and then wrapped gauze around her knuckles. A precaution, she guessed. She did notice that both his and Demetri’s eyes were a little darker than they had been. They were probably thirsty.

Just when he stepped away, the doors opened, the familiar feeling of safety and still unknown but nice feeling washed over her. Blake looked up, a small smile on her face which immediately fell when she saw it was Aro.

She looked away, a pang flowing through her chest as she glared at her covered hand. Yeah, it was official, as long as he never made her, she was never going to let him into her thoughts again. She would die if she did. Because she had been here for little time at all, and somehow unknowingly developed feelings for him and only realized because she had a dream about him and his very obvious significant other and had so much jealousy that she broke a mirror.

When the fuck did her life get more complicated than taking orders from her superiors.

Since she was glaring at her hand, she didn’t see the look of disappointment that flashed Aro’s face when she lost her smile when she saw him. He wanted to know what caused such a reaction but had already made a promise unbeknownst to her that he would never try to see her thoughts without her absolute permission.

He neutralized his face as he approached Anatoly and began talking about what happened. He had already seen from Demetri. When he heard Demetri’s thoughts of breaking glass, he had feared the worst. While he knew Blake wasn’t exactly suicidal, he knew she hadn’t really cared whether she lived or died, just wishing it wouldn’t be at the hands of himself and his brothers because she was protecting her sister. The thought of himself or the others ordering the death of his little mate caused overwhelming sadness and anger to wash over him. He had every intention of doing if she wasn’t gifted but that all changed the moment their eyes met.

When he saw from Demetri’s eyes that she had just punched the mirror and hadn’t made a move to do anything else, he felt so much relief he thought he would fall over. That split moment, just a fraction of second where he thought that their requiring her to move into the castle may have pushed her over the edge caused him to feel so much guilt. He was so relieved to just see that she was angry at something.

He wanted to know what it was and was hoping that when he asked, that she would feel comfortable enough to talk to him. He figured she must have had some vision in her sleep to make her angry.

After speaking with Anatoly and being assured rather avidly that she was indeed fine, just a little bit of blood, he approached his little Swan’s bed. He frowned when she winced, legs pulling up to her chest.

Was she…scared of him? What had she seen? She didn’t smell scared, but there was certainly something that caused that reaction.

Blake looked up back at the doors when she felt the feeling becoming stronger, knowing by now that it meant one of the other brothers was coming as well. She very pointedly ignored Aro’s intense gaze on her.

Caius walked into the room, a very annoyed scowl on his face as he appeared by her bed, holding out her phone.

“This will not stop its incessant ringing.” She chuckled at that, taking it from him. The moment she flipped it open, she saw five missed calls from Emmett and nearly thirty from Jasper from the last thirty minutes.

It started ringing and she looked up at Caius who nodded, and both him and Aro flashed to the other side of the infirmary. She was sure they could probably still hear the conversation, but she appreciated the illusion all the while.

“Hello Jasper,” She said when she answered. She heard a faint whoosh before Emmett’s booming voice sounded through the phone causing her to move the phone away from her hear with a wince.

“Where have you been?”

“Busy, now shush before you blow out my eardrums.” She heard his laughter a little fainter.

“Sorry about him, ma’am.” She smiled brightly at hearing Jasper’s familiar southern voice. Almost immediately the jealous rage that made no sense to be brewing in her chest vanished. “How are you adjusting to Italy?” She cut her eyes to the Kings and immediately looked away when she saw Aro’s eyes on her.

“Just fine.” She cleared her throat. “From what I can see out of my window, Italy is very beautiful.”

“One of these days you should go out. It’s very beautiful right after it rains. All of the greenery of the countryside seems to glow. I think you’d enjoy that.”

“Yeah, that does sound very nice. Maybe I could even try my hand at a full landscape painting. Haven’t really done that before.” He chuckled lowly.

“Just a heads up, Alice is quickly approaching the house and I think she’s going to interrogate you.” His voice was very amused and she chuckled.

“Thanks for the warning.” No sooner had she said that she faintly heard the voice of the vampire in question before Jasper let out a noise of complaint as Alice laughed.

“I think I have the right to talk to my sister more than you do.” Blake’s smile widened at hearing him call her his sister.

“Hello, Alice,” She laughed.

“Hi! What’s going on there? I can’t see a single thing.” Blake faintly heard a growl and looked up to see Caius was glaring at the phone in her hand and she rolled her eyes.

“Maybe try to avoid trying to look into the future of the Volturi?” Blake suggested, trying to appease the dark look on Caius’ face. It actually worked; he was instead looking at her with slightly widened eyes.

“Yeah…I heard that growl. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to oppose on your coven, I was just trying to see what was happening with Blake.” It was obvious that was meant for the kings, who must have responded because Alice voiced her agreement. That did nothing to quench her anger since she had found out about vampires, their enhanced senses were always something she was jealous over.

“Yes, I haven’t been able to see anything there for over a week,” Alice’s voice was more professional than she had ever heard. Aro suddenly appeared next to her, hand extended. She handed it over quickly, not looking at him. Aro and Caius traded spots. Caius by her bed, Aro on the other side of the room.

Caius’ cool fingers ran over her bandaged knuckles causing her to shiver at the light and cold touch. It almost tickled. It was a very pleasant feeling. His eyes were dark, though there were no circles around his eyes which happened when vampires were thirsty. Blake figured it was because he was older, so it must not affect him as much.

“You have a temper?”

“Didn’t your _brother_ tell you?” She hadn’t meant to take that undeniably rude tone with him, and turned to him, meaning to apologize but stopped short when she saw him smiling. It was a small one, but it was still there. His onyx eyes sparkled when they met hers.

“Did the two of you have a falling out? Strange, it usually takes longer for that to happen.” She went to talk but he held up his hand that wasn’t lightly tracing her injured knuckles that was still sending occasional shivers through her. “As to answer your question, no. Aro does not divulge anything from the thoughts that he reads. He knows his gift is very invading and does his best to respect the privacy of those he comes into contact with. Of course, that same mode of reasoning does not apply to criminals during trial and instances such as that.” She nodded thoughtfully. “You look like you have another question. Ask it.”

“How does Renata’s gift work?” She recalled the first dream she had last night, at how guilty he looked when Renata’s gift was mentioned. His eyes widened a fraction, smile falling into a line. “She was there when he freaked out on me for my art,” he winced, barely, but enough for her to see. “And I was just wondering what she can do.” It wasn’t a lie, per se, she wanted to know what it was the moment she had seen it in the study, but the dream last night left her really wanting to know it. He nodded once and she adjusted her position, so she was giving him all of her attention.

She saw him hesitate when she did that but didn’t question it.

“Renata is a shield. Anyone who comes near her with the…intent to harm,” he nearly growled those words. “is turned around, temporarily forgetting their goal. It confuses them.”

“So, when you suddenly were going the other way- you were going to hurt me?” his eyes narrowed on where he was looking at his fingers move over her knuckles.

“It wasn’t my purposeful intention. I let my emotions cloud my judgment.” She nodded, and his still dark look not looking at her, she raised her bandaged hand, waving it with a smile, as his troubled eyes met hers.

“I know my fair share at having my emotions cloud my judgment. Not exactly a smart move to punch glass in a castle full of vampires.” He cracked a smirk, eyes relaxing slightly as he raised his hand to grasp hers.

“Nonsense, the residents in our coven have excellent control. What was not wise to injure yourself at all.” With that, he brought her hand to his face and kissed each knuckle. She blushed and looked away. But really, when she realized she was bleeding, she had been filled with dread. Because the last time someone had bled around vampires in her experience, she had been abandoned. And while she knew the Volturi would kill her before leaving her alone with their secret, it didn’t stop the anxiety from coming back full force.

Caius dropped her hand the moment Aro appeared back at the bedside, holding out her phone.

“It’s your sister, and she sounds quite angry.”

Oh, _fuck,_ she hadn’t called Bella.


	20. Chapter 20

Blake very slowly brought the phone up to her ear.

“Bella?”

“Why the fuck haven’t you called me?” Blake winced. Not only did Bella just raise her voice, but she _cursed._ Those are both not very usual Bella behaviors.

“I…was going to?” Her voice raised at the end. She did have every intention of calling her sister, but then she spent all day with Marcus. And that made her feel like a bitch because she had forgotten to call her sister because she was trying to learn Italian and was having too much fun with him.

“You were going to? What happened? Were they hurting you?” The accusatory tone Bella had made Blake’s blood boil.

“Bella!” Blake barked, and she heard her sister suck in a breath. “that’s enough of that. The Volturi aren’t villains. So, stop it.” She caught the looks Aro and Caius gave her when she just defended them, and it sent butterflies through her having them looking at her proudly.

“But, they eat _people,”_ Bella whispered, which made Blake roll her eyes because they still obviously heard that. “And you’re human.”

“Yes, well, I’m fine.” Even as she said that her hand came up to touch the bruise on her throat.

“Last time you were there someone tried to kill you.” Blake rolled her eyes, dropping her hands.

“yeah, well. I’m fine.” She heard Bella sigh heavily. “look, I promise I’ll call you at least once a week. Time zones are a thing, you know. There aren’t many times where we can actually talk to each other.”

It was silent for a moment before Bella sighed. “Okay, I’ll hold you to that promise, though. And I’m not done with this conversation, but it’s late so I’ll yell at you later.”

“Counting on it, Bells.”

“Okay, well, bye, I guess. Don’t get eaten.”

“ _Thanks, Bella._ Goodnight.”

“Have a good…day?” She hummed her agreement and sighed at the beep signaling the end of the call. She closed her phone and sighed, leaning her head back at the pang of homesickness that shot through her.

She picked her head up and caught Caius’ eye. “Can I take you up on that offer to use your studio?” he nodded and came over to her.

“Would you like me to carry you?” She thought of how bad her leg hurt when Demetri tried walking her out of her room and nodded. He scooped her up and began to walk, only to frown at something before he tucked her head against his chest and took off running.

Soon, they stopped in a room which was most definitely _not_ Caius’ studio. He set her at a stool at a marble bar, which was separating her from a large kitchen. A very _human_ older man was bustling around and turned when Caius greeted him in Italian. The man gave a bow and raised up, speaking to Caius very animatedly. Caius nodded to where she was and she sent the man a smile. He came around the bar and pat her on her back.

He greeted her in Italian, and she responded before sending a look to Caius hoping he interpreted as ‘help, that is the only thing I know so far’. He apparently did because he cleared his throat, interrupting the rather lengthy sentence the man was saying. He turned back to Caius and bowed again.

Caius spoke quickly in Italian, before nodding to where she was sitting. “English.” The man nodded as he turned back to her.

“I am Chef Alberto. Lovely to meet you. What shall I prepare for you?” She shrugged, telling him it didn’t matter to her. He pat her head and moved around the counter and back into the kitchen. Blake sent a look to Caius.

“A human chef?” Caius smirked as he took the stool next to her. She swallowed hard at seeing him, the utter perfection he is, sitting and leaning on his elbows at a bar, his black cloak billowing around him.

“yes, we do have a good deal of human employs and they need to eat.”

“Does he know?” he nodded once. “Why?”

“He’s been with us for years. Both he and his wife work for us. Neither of them mind much about their work here will only end with their deaths. Most of our employees have an…inkling that they could be turned, eventually. Most won't be. If either Alberto or his wife were to wish to be turned, they would be. They have proved themselves to be valuable help. Of course, they wouldn’t be kept here. Not for several years.”

“Do they want to be?” he turned to her, smirk widening as he shook his head. “Oh.” That thought kinda made her sick to the stomach, thinking of how many people they must kill. “What does his wife do?” Blake asked, trying to desperately get the thought of an ungodly amount of people dying out of her head.

“She does anything she needs to. She helps out Alberto often in here, especially when the entirety of the human employs are in the castle.” At her strange looked he sighed lightly. “A lot of them work in secondary locations rather than here. They rotate between who is here and who is in the other offices.” She nodded and smiled at Alberto as he placed a large tray of pancakes and sausage on the counter in front of her.

She stabbed a sausage and turned to Caius with a raised brow. “This isn’t human, is it? Because I have quarrels at becoming a cannibal so early in life,” She joked and he looked at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened before he huffed, rolling his eyes, looking back into the kitchen. She chuckled as she began eating.

“Can I stay in the studio all day?” she asked about halfway through her food. Caius nodded, turning back to her. She fought a smile when she realized he was listening to what she told the kings the first time she ate in their presence: when she said it was weird for them to stare at her while she was eating. He hadn’t looked at her since she started, only turning to her now because she had spoken.

“I see no reason for you not to. You are not to eat in there, though. Demetri will bring you food when you should have it. You can either eat in the hall or another suitable room.”

“Okay, the hall will be fine.” She raised a brow at him and he mirrored it, his smirk still in place. She wasn’t sure how he was going to react considering she saw how apprehensive he was about her gift in her dream last night, but she wanted to see his reaction. Now that he _knew_ for certain that she could see some of his conversations. “Did you say Demetri?” He nodded and she hummed, taking a sip of her fresh orange juice.

“Why not Afton?” She said as she quirked the raised brow. His eyes flashed for a second before he rolled his eyes turning back to the kitchen, though she could see he was more tense.

“You saw that, did you?” She nodded, scarfing down more of the fluffy pancakes. “How much did you see?” She swallowed her food, holding up a finger.

“Just enough to hear you say you’d ask my opinion.” If possible, he became _more_ still. “Look, I know you’re not comfy with my… _gift,_ but I didn’t even know it was one. I’m not exactly sure how okay I am with it.” Her voice slowly got quieter until she ended in a whisper, looking down at her plate.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a cold hand lifted her jaw to look Caius in the eye. His eyes were strong with an emotion she couldn’t place. “Do _not_ feel bad about your gift. It is extraordinary. Ms. Swan, please, I deeply apologize if I’ve made you feel like your gift is anything less than wonderful.” His voice was thick with emotions she couldn’t place as she looked between both of his eyes. He was holding her face close enough for her to feel his breath with each word. She tried to shake her head but he held her firm.

“I may not be… _comfy_ with it, but that is because I am a very private person, and you have the ability to see much. You have seen many instances if your sketchbook was anything to go by. Do you draw them all?” He wouldn’t let her move her head so she had to speak.

“No,” She whispered. “I used to draw each one, but not so much once I found out you guys are real.”

“Don’t stop because of that. Your gift is wonderous, and so is your art. I know my brothers do not mind them. I shouldn’t either. I will adjust to your talent just as I have to Aro’s. Don’t _ever_ speak ill of yourself or gift. You understand me?” Her chest felt warm at his intense gaze, his words meant more to her than she could possibly have fathomed before he had spoken them. She voiced her agreement.

What she wasn’t aware of, was how grateful Caius was that his little mate was gifted. He wasn’t sure yet if it could be useful, but if her ‘sense of danger’ as Aro had put it was anything to go by, she had wonderful instincts that could save her life if she’d listened to them. He knew that she had a tendency to not listen as intently as she should because she didn’t see reason to, like when she went to the residence of the Olympic coven for the first time.

Aro had told him and Marcus about that, but only that. He said the rest was for her to tell. It had made Caius mad, but at the same time, viewed it as a great opportunity to get to know her. Of course, then he had attacked her enough that _Renata’s ability_ worked against him. He felt like torching himself the moment his mind cleared and he saw Renata sitting next to his frightened mate on the floor. Because Renata’s shield didn’t repel someone who wasn’t a threat.

He hoped to be able to coach his mate on how to listen to her extra sense of danger. In this new life, she was in, she would need to if she were to survive. The very thought of something happening to her made venom pool in his mouth, but he knew it was a possibility.

Especially once the vampire world found out she was their mate.

For now, he knew he had to work on her trust.

Blake finished eating her food once Caius released her, thinking over his words. She felt both touched and angry at his words. Touched that he seemed to care, but angry because of course, it was about her gift. Why else would the sadistic king care about her? God, she really needed to do something to get her confusing emotions out of the way.

When she finished eating, he carried her to his studio while she tried to ignore the way her heart picked up pace in his arms. She chalked it up to being so close to a vampire. She refused to think it was something else.

When he put her down to open the doors, she also ignored how she didn’t immediately step away from. He opened the doors and motioned for her to go in first. She did so. He led her over to the easel and she noticed a door she hadn’t seen before. He opened the door, and she ignored his smirk in favor of gazing into the room with wide eyes and jaw dropped.

The entirety of the _very large_ room was covered in art supplies. She slowly walked in and looked around. Caius walked in behind her, standing directly behind her, so she could feel his coolness. The air around him and the kings always seemed to be devoid of warmth, much more than other vampires.

“Would you like a canvas? I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to reach them.” She looked up and was very annoyed that he was very much right. They had to be fifteen feet off the ground. She turned her head to the side, feeling how close he was.

“How do you get them?”

“Which ones do you want?” She pointed to a singular one and he blurred up towards it before appearing right in front of her in a second, causing her to blink at the canvas now in his hands. He started back out of the room and set it up on the easel. She found it kinda funny, watching him do something she was so accustomed to doing, but he was so regal and was quite a sight doing it in his very fancy and large cloak. He looked up and she knew she didn’t drop the smile in time for him to not notice.

“You’re welcomed to any of the supplies, just, do your best to avoid making a mess.” She was tempted to do so just because he said that. She nodded. “My brothers and I have trials today, but if you need anything, ask _Demetri.”_ He gave her a look that she interpreted that Afton hadn’t been officially assigned to her. She gave him a thumbs-up, which he rolled his eyes at but she could almost swear she saw the corners of his lips turned up as he turned and left his studio.

She quickly gathered different paints from the large collection and then made her way to the easel. She looked at the curtains before thinking, ‘what the hell’ and drew them back. It was a great difficulty, because they were much heavier than they looked, seeing as the went from floor to ceiling (and these were not the standard eight to ten-foot ceilings) and because on her tiptoes she could barely reach the stick to move them. She eventually opened the door to ask Demetri if he could do it. He looked positively frightened at the idea of stepping foot in there, and she remembered Caius saying very few could come in. So, she sighed and told him never mind before closing the door back and going back to the easel.

She wasn’t really conscious of what she was painting, just losing herself in the art like she almost always did. When she _did_ notice, she stared at it in horror for roughly five minutes. Because there was no denying the fact that it was Aro and the woman from her dream last night. She quickly rushed to make them unrecognizable, because having painted that was _not_ something she wanted to do nor wanted any of them to see.

She changed their faces and hair as best as she could, but they were sparkling already, and changing that much would have been a pain, so she kept that much. She worked on making sure they looked different as the pain in her chest increased. It had come back the moment she realized what she had been painting.

At the moment she was trying to decide what to do next, Demetri knocked on the door, letting her know that her lunch was outside. She ate quickly, much quicker than she really should have, but she wanted to make sure that painting was unrecognizable as Aro and woman by the time Caius came back.

She stared at it and remembered the advice she had gotten years ago: to let her emotions dictate her art, to let them out. So that’s exactly what she did. She was only _slightly_ concerned that she had decided to drench them both in blood and make a thunderstorm in the background, with lightning stopping just a little above the woman.

She chuckled at it, knowing (hoping) that it wasn’t recognizable as them. It was still them in her mind, though, and seeing the woman about to be struck by lightning brought a smile to her face. _That_ is what concerned her. Because she had _no_ _right_ to be jealous. She had just met the vampire for fuck’s sake. And sure, she had known him for so long before she met him, and he’d been nothing but kind to her, and he even was wearing gloves now, and-

She groaned, burying her face into her hands. “Something I can assist with?” She snapped her head up. She had been so caught up in her thoughts of Aro that she hadn’t even felt the change of energy. Caius was standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised. She gave him a small smile and shook her head.

“No, I’m finished.” He came forward and pointed to it. She shrugged, even though inside she was screaming that it was a bad idea, that he may still recognize them. But he didn’t. he merely raised his eyebrows.

“Was this one of your dreams?” She shook her head because it technically wasn’t a lie. She had never seen that image before painting it. “Take a fancy in seeing one of our kind be struck by lightning then?” he teased. She chuckled and shook her head.

“the next time I’m in here, can you open the curtains?” At his strange look, she pointed to the stick used to move the curtains. “I’m too short.” He nodded, then.

“Come, it’s time for you to eat dinner.” He carried her back to the kitchen where she ate her dinner much slower than she did her lunch, not wanting to make herself sick. When she was finished, Caius picked her up and walked with her to her room.

“I don’t know what happened between my brother and yourself, but I can tell it is weighing on you. I know you two have been getting along, and I know he has been equally as confused about your anger at him as I have been.” She scowled, crossing her arms the best she could while she was in his arms. “Did he do something to you?”

“No, of course not. He’s been,” she hesitated, not sure if she should say it, but at Caius’ imploring look she sighed. “He’s been really sweet.”

“Then?”

“It’s nothing,” she murmured. He sighed, loudly, and knowing how little the kings imitate humans, she knew it was because he wanted her to know he was exasperated.

“I’m not one most talk to with their problems, but I would listen to yours. Marcus would too, and perhaps he’d be a better choice for you to talk with.” She stayed quiet before a sudden thought caused her to jerk and widen her eyes. He looked down at her with barely hidden concern.

“Marcus can see bonds between people, right?” at his nod, she very sheepishly continued. “So, he could see if someone…liked someone?” At this, Caius' eyes darkened, and a small smirk formed on his face as he nodded. She nodded and went silent. He deposited her carefully on her feet at her door. She thanked him for carrying her and for letting her use his studio before she went into her room.

She spent hours tossing and turning, mulling over her thoughts and emotions before sighing heavily, reaching blindly in the dark for her phone. When she got it, she quickly opened it and sent a text to Jasper.

**_‘I need your help. - B.’_ **

It didn’t take long before he responded.

**_‘Are you hurt? - J.’_ **

**_‘No, I just really need someone to talk to. Gah, I feel like such a detestable human being. I’ve been here for a few days and I’ve already subconsciously done something bad. – B.’_ **

**_‘Blake, what are you talking about? Would you rather we call? – J.’_ **

Blake sighed, chewing on her lip before her eyes went to the door, where she just knew Demetri was standing guard. She could feel his danger through the door.

**_‘No, too many prying ears. It’s just…I think I have feelings for someone, and he’s involved with someone else. And I’ve only been here for a couple of days which makes it so much worse. – B.’_ **

A minute passed. And then two. She was about to have a nervous breakdown at his lack of response. She knew for a fact it should not take him anywhere near that long to respond. She was chewing on her lip so much, she was surprised she hadn’t bitten through it. Finally, she heard the phone buzz and she picked it up only to frown.

**_‘Blake, it’s past midnight. We’ll talk about this in the morning. Everything will be fine, I promise you. Whatever it is, it’s probably not as bad as you think. Get some sleep. – J.’_ **

**_‘Really??? I need help here – B.’_ **

**_‘What you need is sleep. We’ll talk when you wake up. – J.’_ **

She didn’t bother to respond to that, just threw the phone onto the nightstand and turned over. She figured he was right, but still. She was freaking out. She hadn’t wanted feelings. Never mind feelings for someone she’s literally been dreaming of forever. And only so few days after meeting him. She fell asleep not too long after.

Her dream was of Aro and the woman from before dressed very fancy and in old Victorian-styled clothing. A very human man was standing in front of them in the yard of a grand mansion.

“Mr. Wentworth, this is my wife, Sulpicia.” _Oh no._ Blake couldn’t even listen to the rest of the dream. She felt a pang of blinding jealousy that was so strong that she woke up. She saw the sun was up and reached over, pulling her laptop over to her.

She turned it on and opened to skype, not even thinking about the vampire outside her door as she clicked on Jasper. It rang once and he answered, looking very concerned upon seeing her straight out of bed, covered in a cold sweat, eyes blown wide as her breath came out in quick pants.

“You were right. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It’s _so much worse.”_

_“_ Good morning to you, as well, ma’am.” She couldn’t even smile at that, her heart thundering in her chest. He frowned and told her to relax.

“I can’t relax. I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way. I just fucking met him, Jasper.”

“that’s fine and normal. How about you explain why it’s so much worse than you thought?”

“He isn’t just with someone, he’s _married._ And she’s very beautiful and i- I’m so fucking stupid. How could I do this?” Jasper furrowed her brows.

“Blake, are you talking about Aro?” Her eyes widened even more and face flushed.

“NO!” her voice cracked in the very obvious lie that had her acutely aware that there was a vampire outside her door that had heard this entire conversation. Said vampire that worked and directly reported to Aro.

“Blake, I can assure you, that situation is not what you think, ask him about it.” Before she could even fuss at him about suggesting something that she would absolutely not do, he continued in a soft voice. “As for it only being a couple of days, Blake, that’s perfectly normal. Alice and I only knew each other for less than forty-eight hours before I developed my feelings for her. She gained hers from the years she saw me in her visions.” She furrowed her brows.

“That’s different. You guys are practically soulmates.” Jasper furrowed his brows.

“We _are_ soulmates,” he corrected, eyes soft. She froze, brain trying to process that. “And how is that any different?”

“Jasper, what in the ever-loving _fuck_ are you talking about?” His eyes widened immediately, in a look that she could only interrupt as slightly frightened, looking like he just spilled some huge secret. Something told her he practically had. He didn’t get to answer, because suddenly her laptop snapped shut. She looked around, frowning when she saw no one. A laptop doesn’t close like that for no reason.

Shortly after, she felt the now familiar feeling signaling the kings approaching her room before the door was opened and Marcus stepped inside. She immediately flushed.

“I do believe, we need to talk.” His serious voice had her stomach plummeting. His eyes were dark, and expression blank. What did she do to cause him to go back to the version of him she had always seen prior to meeting him?


	21. Chapter 21

Blake pointed the edge of the bed and he gracefully glided the distance to stand at the foot of her bed. She had wanted him to sit because him standing while she was sitting was making her beyond nervous.

“Did you eat last night?” Thrown off by the question, all she could do was nod. His face relaxed into a softer expression that she had become accustomed to seeing on him since their meeting. “I am not meaning to make you nervous.”

“It would help if you would sit.” He was immediately sitting on the bed and she shuffled up.

“Better?” When she nodded, he took a deep, unneeded breath that caused her anxiety to spike.

“Have I done something wrong?” His face snapped up to hers, eyes so fierce that it caused her heart rate to spike. She wasn’t scared, but it felt so intense.

“Of course, not. I apologize if I made you feel that way.” He looked unsure for a moment before he was blurred to be sitting against the headboard next to her. She leaned back into the headboard, turning her body towards him.

His hand reached into his cloak and pulled something out. “I need you to wear this at all times.” He opened his palm, revealing the crest that looked exactly like his and his brothers. She had seen it often in her dreams, of course, and they had always worn it since she’d been in Volterra. She lifted her hair and turned. The cool metal of the chain landed around her neck, his cold fingers brushing her skin as he fastened it behind her neck. Shivers ran through her at the contact. When he pat her shoulders, she dropped her hair and turned back to him.

She looked down at the necklace, fingers coming up to touch it. Having one around her felt so surreal when she had been drawing it all her life. It was heavier than she thought it was; it would not be swinging all over the place when she walked. Its chain was long enough that it rested just at the bottom of her sternum. 

She looked up to find his intense eyes staring intently at her. He swallowed and met her eyes. “Do not have it hidden by any clothing. It must always be in sight. Do you understand?” She nodded. She did understand, her little insistent sixth sense was definitely telling her to _never_ take it off. It was strange.

“Was there something else or did you look so ominous for the sole purpose of trying to make me anxious as possible?” He frowned.

“That was not my intention, I apologize. I wanted you to meet Afton, he’ll be staying with Demetri as your guard for the time being.” She didn’t tell him she already knew that. The door opened a man about her height walked just a step in, hands clasping behind his back.

He had black hair, and his eyes were bright red as they stared at her. He bent at the waist. “It’s lovely to meet your acquaintance.”

“you too?” he nodded once more before sweeping out of the room. She turned back to Marcus.

“I had originally wanted to spend the day with you, but I am afraid something has come up.”

“that’s fine,” She said, even though she was very upset at the fact. He nodded and disappeared after they exchanged goodbyes. She could tell there was more to the reason she came to see her, but she wasn’t going to push if he changed his mind. Even though it felt important.

All day she stayed in her room, her anxiety attacking her full force. Every little thing she saw out of the corner of her eye caused her to jump and try and pull the gun which she didn’t have. Her stomach was way too upset to even eat. Both breakfast and lunch she pushed around before shoving the trays onto the large desk across the room.

She wasn’t sure what caused her spike in anxiety, but she knew that the increased danger she could feel at her only point of entry with the fact that there are two human-eating vampires at her door. None of the windows opened, she tried, trying to get some air into the room that felt way too stuffy all of a sudden.

At one point a bird hit her window and she nearly screamed. The sound seemed to trigger something because then she could hear the gunshots and screams of the night she had lost her team. She collapsed into the bed, pulling her sheets all the way around her, thrusting a pillow behind her back and she muffled her sobs into a pillow.

When she caught her breath, the phantom sounds fading away, she picked her head up.

“Demetri?” The door opened, but he didn’t come into sight. “Can you go find Aro if he isn’t busy?” The door shut and she felt the danger decreased greatly letting her know he was, in fact, leaving.

Not long after, the door opened and Aro showed up. He stayed right in front of the closed door. He was in his cloak, of course, and still had the silk gloves on his hands. He was looking at her with concern, and she realized that she probably looked like hell.

“Are you alright?” Her lip trembled and she quickly shook her head, eyes filling with more tears. Immediately, he was by her side. He opened his mouth the speak but she flung herself at him, clutching the front of his cloak. She sobbed into his chest. He immediately wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her tight against him, his chin resting on her hair.

“Are you busy?” She managed to choke out once she could. He mumbled something that sounded like ‘ _never too busy for you’._ But she must have heard it wrong.

“No.”

“I don’t want to be alone today. Please,” she pleaded. Before she knew it, she was in his arms, face tucked into his chest as he took off running. She was placed in a bed, and he moved back and she gasped, reaching for him.

“shh, I’m just pulling the covers back for you,” he murmured, and she curled in on herself, ashamed at how she was feeling and breaking down in front of him. She felt him gently grab her and lower her back onto the bed, pulling the covers around her.

He laid down beside her, pulling her against his chest again. It took her only a second before she untensed and clutched the front of his shirt, the cool metal of his crest cutting into her hand. His hand was running up and down her back as she began crying.

A strange feeling rumbled through Blake, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from Aro. Her eyes went as wide as they could while sobbing.

He was purring.

She had never heard a single vampire make that noise. She collapsed her head against his chest, the rumbling from his purrs comforting her in a way that she could not explain. She tried to form words but gave up, just clutching close to him.

He never once stopped his gentle strokes down her back or his purring, so it didn’t take her long before she started hiccupping and paired with the comforting feeling always surrounding him, to then fall asleep.

When she woke up, the first thing Blake realized was how _hot_ she was. The second was that she was not in her bed, but rather a very large bed with black sheets, while hers were red. She looked up, pushing off the throw blankets that were placed on top of her, leaving just the comforter and sheets on her.

The third thing she noticed was the sound of running water. She rolled over and saw a door which was obviously a bathroom. While hers was styled more rustic, this one was completely modernized. It had shiny black tile, a giant double sink. Steam filled the bathroom, so she couldn’t see much other from the distance.

She wrapped her arms around the pillow under her head as she stared at the door. Then she blinked. Then again. Before her eyes widened and heart started racing.

Because the fourth thing she noticed was the fact that this was the room _Aro_ brought her to. The room where she cried against _Aro’s_ chest. And that it was almost definitely him in the shower.

She went to look around the room, but then the water shut off and she froze. A few seconds later, Aro appeared at the counter, dressed in nothing but a black towel around his waist. Her eyes wandered up and down his figure.

She had seen him plenty of times over the years, but she’d never seen him _practically naked._ His usual layers of fancy clothes and giant cloak did absolutely _nothing_ for his figure. His clothing choices made him look rather…bulky.

He was very lean, muscles covering his frame. The pale skin seemed to almost radiate the soft golden light of the bathroom. His hair was dripping water as he lifted it off of his shoulders and tied it up with an elastic.

His body had water droplets slowly making their way down his body. Her eyes followed the curve of his back, before jerking when he turned the sink on. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as she watched him wash his face in nothing but a towel.

She wasn’t really thinking of anything, just wanting to cement this memory into her mind because he was fucking gorgeous.

Even if he did have a wife.

When he turned off the water, he turned towards the door, and subsequently, her. The shit-eating grin that broke out on his face when he met her eyes, normally would have made her blush and turn away, but all she did was smile sleepily back.

He walked into the room, keeping his eyes on her as he moved to the closet. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.” She was surprised that it was true. Because of how bad she felt, she never slept well after episodes like that. And yet, she slept perfectly. Even pressed against a vampire—this did cause her to blush—didn’t disturb her sleep. She slept terribly anytime she was at the Cullen house. He disappeared into the closet, only to reemerge from the closet wearing his usual clothes, minus the cloak, which caused a small pout to form on her lips. He chuckled, moving towards her, gloved hands raised.

“Mind if I sit?”

“Don’t you own the castle?”

“Yes, but you’re the one currently in my bed.” Oh.

_Oh._

This was _his_ bed.

That certainly knocked the sleep out of her brain, and she blushed, pulling the blanket closer to hide her face. He chuckled, cold hands moving the blanket. She was staring at his face, as he softly looked down at her.

She rolled over, making a burrito out of the blanket as she did so. He knelt onto the bed.

“Would you like to explain what happened?” The giddiness she felt disappeared, and she frowned at the bed. “You don’t have to, of course. I’m merely curious.”

“You didn’t…” She trailed off but looked up to meet his onyx eyes. His eyes hardened only slightly, but he kept his soft smile.

“No, of course not. You don’t want me in your thoughts, therefor I shall stay away from them. I give you my word I won’t purposefully read your thoughts without your express permission.” She nodded, and his eyes relaxed.

“I was just having a bad day. You’ve seen how my anxiety acts up.” She said and he nodded, brows furrowing. His hand landed on top of her head and gently ran it down her hair.

“I am sorry you have to go through that.” The absolute emotion in his words was definitely going to make her cry if she didn’t change the subject right away, but he wasn’t finished yet. “How long were you going through that before you sent for me?”

She hesitated, before telling him that she had started feeling that way shortly after Marcus left. He sighed, closing his eyes, before opening them back up, looking into her eyes intently. “If you _ever_ need me for any reason, you send for me. Do not worry if I am otherwise engaged or not. I will come to you.” Her eyes filled with tears again, and she unwrapped from her blanket burrito to hug him again. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly against him.

She decided she liked being in his arms.

But then her pesky brain decided to remind her of his wife. She pulled back rather abruptly, causing him to frown and steady her seeing as she nearly fell. “Everything alright?”

“Won’t your _wife_ be mad at me being in your bed?” She snapped and immediately felt bad because he had nothing to be sorry about. They weren’t a thing. She had been the one to get stupid feelings for him. But it just felt _so right._

But the look that crossed Aro’s face was very much _not_ right.

His eyes narrowed, lips frowning darkly. The expression caused Blake’s hair to stand on end. “I’m not married.” She furrowed her brows, burrowing back into the blankets, trying to find a safer spot than the angry vampire.

Again, the stupid sixth sense was telling her he wouldn’t hurt her.

“But- you were- I- I saw her.” His expression got even darker. “Well, I mean, not really. I mean.” His expression immediately relaxed back into the soft expression that he used with her. He raised a hand that silenced her ramblings.

“You dreamed it.” He supplied and she nodded. He sighed, running a hand through his hair which he had let down in the closet, much to Blake’s annoyance.

“Sulpicia, right?”

“We were once married. Not anymore.”

“You’re divorced?” He nodded once, eyes still hard as he looked away from her. She frowned at that, pulling his attention back to her when her hand landed on his. “Sorry for snapping.” He cracked a smirk.

“Don’t fret.” In a blur, the comforter was now straight, no longer twisted over her, and Aro was sitting on the bed, back against the frame. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. They were close enough that their arms were touching. “Were you cold?” he motioned to the blankets.

“Quite the opposite.” He chuckled and apologized.

“I am not used to having to worry about things such as warmth.” She nodded and he disappeared into another blur before returning, their arms and legs now touching. At the foot of the bed was a stack of neatly folded blankets and his cloak.

Wait.

He wrapped her cloak around her?

She tried to ignore the giddy feeling that swept through her. It didn’t mean anything. He was a vampire king. She was just there because she knew about them and that was against the laws.

But that didn’t feel like the whole truth to her. And the fact that she felt safe with him, only less than a week after moving into the castle scared her. She shouldn’t get feelings that fast. She never has. She turned to him.

“Jasper said he and Alice were soulmates. So, that’s a real thing?” He hummed and nodded, turning to meet her eyes.

“yes, mostly it’s just shortened to our mates, but yes, they are very real.”

“Are they rare?”

“Not really. Some vampires can wait millennia for theirs, though.” His eyes held so much emotion as he spoke, she wondered what he was thinking about. Maybe someone he had seen with that story.

“There are instances more rare than others,” he continued. “Like one person being the mate to both of an already mated couple. Or a person being mated to different people.”

“What? Like fated ‘Escaping Polygamy?” he scowled.

“No, it’s not an unwilling thing. You know of polyamory?” she nodded, and she knew he knew she knew. “It’s like that. Sometimes all the parties involved are bonded together, in other instances, only certain ones are. Understand?” He asked.

“Yeah. Like, one group, each person has puzzle pieces that fit together. The other, multiple pieces that only fit together with some in the group.” She couldn’t explain why, but this information felt very important to her.

Aro smiled brightly at her words. “yes, that’s a great analogy. Jasper and Alice, as you know are a mated pair. Good friends of mine are in a mated group. Each of them is tied to each other.” She nodded.

“And you and your ex-wife?” His smile dimmed.

“We were not mates, but we loved each other. We made a promise to one another that if either of us found our mates we would part without ill will.”

“So…one of you found yours?” She really wanted that answer to be that Sulpicia found hers.

“Yes. Anyhow, Sulpicia has left Volterra with her companion.” Something was telling her that while he tried to pass that off as Sulpicia and her mate, but it didn’t work. Sulpicia might have Volterra but it wasn’t with her mate.

“Oh.” She stayed silent for a moment. “Those glass panels you sent with Carlisle to give to me,” She started and his smile returned to being bright. “You said Caius and Marcus helped you slightly. He painted them.” He chuckled, tilting his head down to look at her through his lashes. _That_ nearly caused her to fall over as her heart picked up.

“Yes, well. They helped slightly in _selecting_ them.”

“Why’d you do that?” His smile curved into a wicked smirk.

“Maybe I just wanted to impress you.” Her face was on fire as she looked down at her hands. There’s no way he meant that the way she took that…right?

Without her permission, pick up lines started filtering through her head. She internally groaned at that. First of all, no way would she embarrass herself at using pickup lines as cheeky as those. Second, there’s no way she could even think about asking him out. He was him. He was literally perfect. And a king. And a vampire. Third, she had never asked anyone out before, she didn’t know what to do.

But then her brain decided to just yell at her that she wasn’t brave enough. And there was no way in fucking hell that she wasn’t _brave enough_ to ask someone out.

“Would you like to…do an activity together?” Quoting Sokka was probably not the way to get the magnificent king in front of her to go on a date.


	22. Chapter 22

Turns out, quoting Sokka from the Southern Water tribe actually worked. Because Aro’s already bright smile widened even more as he nodded. He only lightly teased her for that, causing her to blush and slink down the bed to pull the comforter back up and over her face.

She nearly lost it when she felt his hands pulling the blanket down only to stare directly into his onyx eyes. He smiled gently at her, a hand coming up to brush her hair out of her face.

“You are not stupid, by the way.” She frowned. “Demetri was standing right outside your door this morning.” At his reminder, Blake’s eyes widened as her face flushed. She groaned. She knew that, and she still talked to Jasper about having a crush on Aro.

His chuckle caused her to slit her eyes open to see him staring at her softly. “Nothing to be embarrassed by. I feel quite the same about you.” If possible, her face got hotter. “would you like something to eat? I noticed you didn’t eat much of your breakfast or lunch. It’s quite late.” She turned her head trying to find a clock or anything to find to tell her what time it was but found none. “It’s past ten.” She looked at him for a moment then nodded.

“I should try to eat again. I’m feeling much better than I was.” He smiled wide at that before asking if she would be okay if he left. She nodded, despite not feeling certain. The further his comforting feeling got away from the room, the more she could feel her anxiety picking back up.

Blake buried herself in the sheets, inhaling the rich scent of Aro which had her nerves calming slightly. She was asleep before he got back.

She was watching herself talking to Jasper earlier that day. She frowned when she realized she really did look like hell. When he saw Jasper freeze just moments before the laptop would mysteriously slam shut, she noticed he looked like he was listening to something. But what?

As soon as that thought crossed Blake’s mind, the dream glitched for a second before resuming. Only it was resuming what it had already shown her. It showed her for the second time as Jasper said he and Alice were soulmates.

“What the fuck?” Had she just made her dream rewind? She had never been able to do it before. She tried to do it again, and it worked. She watched once again as Jasper looked to be listening to something. Then she looked to the door and focused on backing the dream back over again.

She walked to the door and opened it and immediately jumped. Demetri was standing at the door, eyes black as they glared straight, in what would be the door without her manipulating the dream.

His lips moved fast, too quiet for her to make out intelligible words. She groaned and willed the dream to start over because now she _knew._ Demetri had told Jasper something. She was _going_ to find out what it was. She needed to know what he said that made Jasper look completely and utterly terrified.

When the dream started over once again, she nearly fell over at the pain that seemed to radiate through her entire skull. She shook it off and watched Demetri—back facing her—as he suddenly tensed and snapped around to glare at the door. She leaned in to press her ear right next to his mouth, but could still only barely make out words.

She moved away from him, throwing her hands up. “For fuck’s sake! _Speak up!”_ The dream glitched, showing the exact moment he turned around.

“She does not know. You are not allowed to tell her. Do not go against the will of the Masters.”

She collapsed into the ground. Her head felt like it was splitting into two. Not only had she reversed the dream multiple times, but she was also able to manipulate the volume of Demetri’s voice. She had done neither before.

But Blake was a little more focused on other things at present. Like what the fuck didn’t she know? And why wasn’t Jasper allowed to tell her?

The dream in front of her glitched fizzled before the scene changed to Aro’s dark themed bedroom. The three kings were sitting at a seating arrangement made in the corner of the room that Blake had noticed just slightly before she fell asleep. She picked herself up off of the floor and plopped into an empty spot where she could also see all three of them.

She desperately wanted to close her eyes and ease the ferocious pain in her skull, but she wanted to see this. She watched as Caius’ dark eyes looked at something past Aro’s shoulder. She turned, and not for the first time in the night, saw her own self. She was curled in the blankets of Aro’s bed, pillow clutched tightly in her arms.

Blake shook her head and turned back to the kings. It was disorienting to see herself from an outside perspective.

“How is she?”

“She’s fine.”

“Aro!” Caius growled and Aro calmly looked back at him. Marcus put a hand on Caius’ shoulder which had him straightening. “Why are you calm about her distress?”

“It happens,” Aro said. Caius’ words about how he didn’t disclose things about people’s private lives came to the forefront of her mind. So, Aro really hadn’t told them. She wondered if they knew she was a marine.

“Aro…” Marcus trailed off, and Aro sighed, turning around to look at her sleeping form on the bed.

“She has her reasons. If you wish to know,” he turned back to his brothers. “You need to ask her yourselves.”

“Jasper of the Olympic Coven nearly told her this morning during their phone call,” Aro started, and that caused both Marcus and Caius to look at him with wide eyes. They almost looked…hopeful. “Afton ended the call before he was able to. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t have questions.”

“I don’t see how refraining from telling her can help anything.” Caius’ voice was dark.

“Caius-” Aro was cut off by Caius’ feral growl.

“You’re damaging any chance.”

“I have a date with her.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Caius moved back as if smacked, his mouth slapping shut with an audible snap. Marcus slowly leaned back into his chair. The tension in the air had her looking between the three of them with confusion. What was the big deal? Was it because she was human? Aro had assured her not to worry about the fact that he was the leader of the Volturi.

“It seems you two may have had a point though. She knows about Sulpicia.” Marcus squinted at the spot she was sitting. She raised her brows but knew he couldn’t see her. “She talked very negatively about herself for her guilt about developing feelings.”

“I wonder why,” Caius drawled out, a single eyebrow raised at him. Aro sighed, leaning forward to brace his forearms on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Blake jerked, coming out of the seat. She had _never_ seen him so distressed. She came over to him, sitting on the table in front of him, turning her back to Caius as she stared at Aro.

When he looked up, she gasped. His eyes were shining, face so distressed that it brought tears to her eyes, for reasons she didn’t understand. He shook his head slightly as his eyes flickered between Caius and Marcus.

He spoke quickly in a language that she didn’t know. It felt like it was very substantial, and for reasons unknown to her, her chest filled with warmth.

When she woke up, she made sure to keep her breathing steady. She cracked her eyes open. Her eyes met Caius’. She gave him a sleepy smile, the radiating comfort from the three of them being in the same room with them.

He gave her an intent look, and while he didn’t actually smile, it certainly felt like one. At that, Marcus turned and caught her eye as well. She raised her hand in a sleepy wave. Aro wasn’t at the chair he occupied during her dream, but she could still feel his presence.

“Is your problem that I’m human?” Immediately, the three of them were standing by the bed, staring down at her. She blinked slowly, looking up to look at their faces.

“Can we have more context, dear?” Aro asked and her heart fluttered. She nodded towards Caius.

“You told them we’re going on a date.” She knew they figured out exactly what she was talking about. “Is he mad because I’m not one of you?” Caius sat on the edge of the bed, hand reaching out to lay on her arm.

“No. It’s nothing of the sort. I’m not angry. I hope you enjoy your outing.” She smiled brightly at him. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, before standing up. She turned her eyes to Aro who gave her a gleaming smile.

“Any particular thing that catches your interest?” He asked as Marcus and Caius moved back to the couches. She raised a brow and his eyes sparkled. “For our activity together.” She blushed, groaning and he chuckled.

“not really? I don’t know what to do. I do want to get out of the castle though if I can.” He nodded gently.

“Of course, we can, if that’s what you wish. I can select something for us to do if you wish?” She nodded a couple of times.

“I’d like that.”

A couple of hours later, after she slept for the rest of the night, Blake was back in her room, her anxiety had calmed down more than enough for her to feel okay being by herself. She didn’t necessarily want to leave them, but she didn’t want to bother them when they had stuff to do, so she went back to her room.

She was very pleasantly surprised that Aro’s chambers weren’t _too_ far from her own room. She could still feel the kings’ pleasant energies from her room but was fairly certain they wouldn’t be able to hear her, so she opened her laptop up, hoping nothing closed it like the last time. Apparently, if her dream was anything to go by, Afton had something to do with it.

She called Jasper.

He answered, his face showing a nervous smile. She waved at him, a huge smile on her face. He relaxed and nodded to her, “Ma’am.”

“I have a date!” she whisper-screamed. He nodded once, a small smile on his face. “You don’t seem surprised.” At once, his face slightly fell. It was barely there before it was gone completely.

“I figured it would happen, is all.”

“You guys left out a lot about your kind when you were explaining everything.” He raised a brow, a small smirk on his face.

“Sorry about that, sister.” She rolled her eyes.

“Can you really not tell me?” At his confused face, she tacked on, “Whatever it was you were talking about yesterday.” He frowned and shook his head slowly.

“I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.”

“Whose is it?”

“Marcus.” She immediately frowned. She hadn’t gotten a notion from him that he was keeping things that regarded her from her. “It’s nothing bad, I can assure you. Don’t worry.” She nodded once, but just shook her head.

“How mad is Bella with me?”

“She’s mostly just worried.” Blake nodded, a pang going through her chest. She didn’t want to worry her sister. And she definitely didn’t want to worry her because she got distracted by a guy. Err… guys. “Don’t worry about it too much. We’ve assured her that you’ll be fine. She’s calmed down since then.”

“Thanks, Jasper.” All of a sudden, he was gone. She stared at the screen with her brows furrowed. “Everything okay?” Alice and Jasper appeared into the room, behind the couch that Jasper was previously sitting. Jasper looked confused but Alice was staring at her with wide eyes.

Alice disappeared and Jasper turned to her. “What happened?” She asked.

“She had a vision, I’m not sure what it was. But she’s confused, and a little scared. I have to go.” She nodded and disconnected the call after wishing for everything to be okay. She only thought about it for a minute.

The rest of the week was spent with her going to the studio often. She spent time with Marcus often in the library with him teaching her Italian. She didn’t see Aro much seeing as he was very busy. She talked to Bella and Jasper every day. Of course, there were a couple of times she told Jasper to pass on a message. Blake could talk to Jasper during the afternoon because he didn’t sleep and would be awake during the middle of the night in Washington.

It was Sunday, and Aro had come to see her in the morning. He had wished their date be that night, and she readily agreed. She knew he didn’t go further than his room when he left, his comforting energy soothing her as her anxiety spiked as she thought about the date.

The stuff that she shipped from Forks came the day before, so she busied herself with unpacking to keep her mind off of everything. 

She didn’t know what they were doing, but he told her to dress comfortably. He was supposed to come to get her at six. So, at five, she got into the shower, almost losing herself in her thoughts before she dressed in a towel and went to her closet. She immediately walked over to the suitcases and started rifling through it. She hit the bottom of it without finding anything she wanted to wear. She moved onto her boxes before pausing.

She spun on her heel, looking at all of the new clothes in the closet. She sighed heavily before going through them, finding a nice long-sleeved blouse and loose fitted pants that she pulled on.

They fit her perfectly.

She sat on the corner of her bed, nervously drumming her fingers against her knee. When the familiar energy started getting stronger, she clasped her hands together and picked her head up, looking at the door with wide eyes.

Aro stepped in and closed the door behind him. They froze as they looked at each other. She felt kinda self-conscious with the unmoving look he was giving her, but mostly her thoughts were short-circuited her brain was what he was wearing. He was not in his usual Volturi clothes paired with a cloak, but a pristine all-black suit. His crest still sat on top, but he looked more casual than she could have ever imagined.

He was fucking gorgeous.

When he blurred over to her, his gloved hands taking hers apart gently, she blinked up at him, before smiling, all of her nervousness fading away.

“Are you alright? It sounded like there was a hummingbird in your chest.” She snorted and he chuckled. “I see you’re wearing your clothes. I’m glad, I thought you didn’t like them.”

“I like them, just not used to having them.” That was all she needed to confirm the fact that he had the closet stocked. “So, where are we going?” He raised a brow before she found herself in his arms as he was walking through the halls.

“It’s a surprise. Blake,” She looked up and saw him staring intently at her. “tell me immediately if you need to return. I have planned for us to take a walk to show you some things that may interest you. However, if there is any point in which you need to return, you must tell me immediately.” When she nodded, his eyes softened and he smiled, walking out of the castle into the chilled air of the city.

Blake noticed, with some annoyance, that Demetri and Afton were following them. Their energy was pretty ingrained into her head considering they hadn’t been farther away then her door all week. She couldn’t see them, but could definitely feel them.

She wasn’t mad. If anything, it was the opposite. As a previous soldier herself, she could appreciate dedicated warriors. Especially since they were doing their job in protecting Aro. She wasn’t sure how safe it was in the city, but she was sure the Volturi had many enemies. She also knew that there would be an army of vampires following them if there _was_ any danger in the city.

Blake stared wide-eyed a giant lit-up fountain that Aro finally set her on her feet. She looked around, seeing the many people in the busy city. There was plenty of energy, and not a single bit of it bad like usually happened in busy cities.

She relaxed and reached for Aro’s hand. He lit up, grasping it snugly. She gave a little half spin and smiled at seeing a small family head happily into a shop. She turned back to Aro who was watching her with adoration. It kinda caught her off guard, but she shook it off.

“So, where are we going?” He started walking, telling her about the city as he did so. They stopped for ice cream in which Aro ordered in Italian. Blake squealed when he placed her favorite flavor in her hands. He chuckled and led her back out of the shop and to the giant fountain. She sat down and he took the seat next to her.

She hesitantly leaned her head on his shoulder, and when he made no move to remove her, she relaxed and began eating her ice cream. His arm went around her shoulder to gently pull her closer, fingers drawing idly on her shoulder as they sat in silence.

She could feel his eyes on her, but she was watching the people as she enjoyed her dessert. She was glad they were sitting because her leg was giving her a fiery protest, but it wasn’t so bad that she had to go in. Not yet. She was enjoying her time with Aro too much to go so early.

When she finished her ice cream, she made no move to get up, curling into Aro’s side instead. “Are you tired? Do you want to go back?”

“No!” She blushed at how fast she answered and his chuckle had her swatting his chest weakly. “I’m fine. Just comfy.” His laughing slowly trailed off and she tilted her head to look at him. He nodded. She sat up, standing and he promptly stood, grasping her hand and taking the trash from the other one.

He threw away the trash as they started walking again. They didn’t walk for long, before he stopped, giving her a large smile before turning a corner.

The alley was as wide as the street and _covered_ in art. Tons of people were bustling through it, in between the two ropes that left a foot closest to the walls clear of pedestrians. In the sectioned off parts were several people working on new pieces of art, some with spray paint, some with brushes, some with markers. It was wonderful.

As they walked in, Aro’s arm securely holding her close to him in the busy alley, she could see the ground itself also had art on it. She turned her wide eyes to Aro, a smile spread across her face.

“This place is amazing!” He grinned at her, pulling her closer to speak into her ear.

“I’m glad you like it. I figured you would appreciate this, knowing your love for art. Marcus talked me out of taking you to an opera.” At his voice so close to her ear, shivers were running down her spine, but at that last line, she shot him a look which had him laughing. “I see I made the right choice.”

“Not that I have anything against opera, I just don’t get it. Besides, wanting out of the castle, meant _outside_.” He nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I know you don’t like being cooped up.” She was reminded that he had seen _most_ of the thoughts that had ever been through her head and she shook the thought out of her head, instead appreciating being held firmly against his body as the moved through the alley.

Several times, she would point at one and talk about it, and it made her immensely happy that he was giving her his full attention as he spoke. He never once looked like he wanted to be somewhere else or talk about something different. She’d never had someone give her their attention like Aro had done all night.

The alley seemed to go on for miles, and she was stopping often, so by the time they made it out, it was already eleven and Aro decided it was time for them to go back to the castle so she could rest. She, of course, grumbled about the stupid need of sleep which silenced the moment he picked her back up.

She relaxed into his arms as he walked. Vampires moved so smoothly, she could barely feel their steps, but she couldn’t feel Aro’s at all. With his overwhelmingly pleasant presence surrounding her, she fell asleep in his arms with her face pressed against his chest well before they got to the castle.

But not before she very sleepily said, “Thank you for the activity…I’d like to do another.” His chuckle and assurance that she could have as many as she’d like was the last thing, she was aware of before she fell asleep.

Of course, that peaceful energy she felt was ruined when she went to sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

It was dark. Pure darkness.

It was the only thing Blake was aware of as she turned around. And around. And around. She was searching for something, _anything_. This was one of her dreams, her visions of the past, she knew it was. It had the feeling anytime her dreams were concerned, but she wasn’t used to not seeing _anything._

A sudden and violent sound of stone on stone crashing had her snapping her head to the left. A ferocious growl sounded, quickly followed by several others. A flame was started, illuminating tunnel walls around them. It was cramped, around the four vampires.

One of the vampires was on the ground on his knees, two others holding his shoulders and arms back. The other one was _not_ holding a torch, it was his hand, exuding fire.

The vampire on the ground snapped his head up and Blake gasped, an overwhelming sense of rage taking over her. One that _wasn’t_ hers. The vampire on his knees was Aro.

His skin was cracked, mostly on his face and neck, though there were smaller ones on his shoulders. The two vampires weren’t looking much better. They had many cracks on their skin as well, the only one not looking like he just went through a warzone was the one with a fire hand.

Aro’s lips were pulled back over his teeth in a ferocious growl, eyes black in a more dangerous glare than she had ever seen on him. The two vampires pushed him further down, and his growl turned to more of a hiss as the vampires pulled more on his arms, the cracks spreading up and down his arms and necks, some on his chest.

Blake’s hands flew to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. The one with fire spit something out in another language that Aro merely growled at. With a quick flick of his wrist, the tall vampire’s hand of fire turned to holding a whip made of fire which he thrust towards Aro.

Blake jumped as the fire whip wrapped around Aro’s chest, a mangled scream erupting from his throat. The fire returned to the brunette’s hand, and he repeated the phrase. This time, as Aro sagged in the arms of the two vampires, he responded.

The man smirked violently, the whip surging out again. It wrapped around Aro’s shoulders and arms, curling around him like a snake. His horrible screech made her sob. The guy’s other hand erupted into flames and he aimed a flaming punch right at Aro’s face.

Blake bolted up, a scream leaving her throat. Immediately, hands wrapped around her, holding her steady, another pair catching her hands as they struck out. She took deep breaths as her eyes connected with Aro’s concerned ones. Her eyes filled with tears and she leaned towards him. The restricting pairs of hands left her and Aro pulled her towards him. Her hands came up to trace through his clothes where the whip had burned through his marble skin.

“Dark.” She sobbed. “Tunnel.” Aro stiffened under her, her hands making the loop around his shoulders where the whip had latched onto, and she sobbed harder. “Fire whip.” He soothed her, whispering things into her ear. He began purring as she started hiccupping, clutching his shirt tightly in her hands.

It took her several more minutes before she calmed down to just quiet sniffles, Aro’s fingers running up and down her back lightly. She pulled back just enough to look at him in his eyes. “You nearly died.” He nodded once; eyes intense on hers. Her already irritated eyes filled with more tears but he shushed her, his purrs coming back.

“I didn’t. I’m right here. Caius and Marcus got to me before anything irreparable happened.” She nodded, clutching his clothes tightly in her hands. “And it was a very long time ago. Nothing to fear now.” She nodded jerkily, leaning back to furiously wipe her face. She was overreacting. It was stupid.

Aro’s hands caught hers, pulling them away from her face. She slowly looked up to see him looking at her with concern. “I’m sorry. Damn, I swear I’m not as emotional as you’ve been seeing me-”

“Blake.” She silenced, staring at his completely serious face. “Never apologize for your emotions. They are wonderful light in this life of darkness. _You_ are the light of the darkness. I am honestly quite touched that you’d have a reaction this strong to me in peril. I am only sorry you had to witness it.” Blake sniffled at his words but nodded. Her insides fluttered with him talking about her in such a way.

She turned her head and saw Caius standing near the door, looking kinda uncomfortable. She gave him a small wave which he nodded to. Blake looked around. She was in Aro’s bed. She tried not to smile at that but ultimately failed. He brought her to his room last night.

“What is it?” he asked as he moved closer to her. She hesitated to lean on his shoulder, looking back at Caius. He had a gentle expression, so she threw caution to the wind and plopped her head on Aro’s shoulder. 

“You brought me here.” He nodded, arm going around her shoulders to pull her to him. “I like it.” She felt his silent chuckle and smiled, leaning further into his side. She turned when she heard the door click, the energy of the room changing as Caius got further away from the room. “Is he leaving because of me?” She sighed when Aro’s hand smoothed down her head.

“No. He has things he must take care of.” She nodded.

“I enjoyed last night, thank you.” She could feel him smile as he tightened his grip on her.

“I’m glad you liked it. I enjoyed our time together as well.” She spent enough time in his room to make sure he was okay, and for her to eat before she returned to her own room. She could still feel his presence thrumming through the walls. It felt different than it usually did. It was more intense, more distinguishable from that of Caius and Marcus now.

She shook her head, going over to the many boxes that now were in the room. She had procrastinated unpacking them for several days now. She really wanted to have her stuff now.

After unpacking two boxes full of random stuff, that she remembered not packing and filed away to ask Jasper about later because there were definitely way more boxes than she shipped, she went to pick up a box and immediately dropped it, shooting pain spiraling up her leg. It was fucking heavy.

She opened it up and looked inside. It was a bunch of her books, and open closer inspection seemed to have presents in it. She contemplated the best course of action before sighing, already feeling bad about what she was about to do.

“Demetri?” The door opened. “Would you mind helping me?” He stepped inside, left the door wide open, and pushed his cloak back. His blond hair was messy in a way she hadn’t really seen on vampires so far, but it seemed to match him. His red eyes were bright as they focused on her.

“How can I be of assistance?”

“Fuck, man, do you always talk like that?” he raised his brows and she very slowly pursed her lips. “Sorry about that. I’m still working on developing a filter.”

“Nonsense. It’s entertaining.” He gave her an expectant look and she pointed to the box.

“Can you take that to the desk?” He appeared by her side in an instant picking the box up before reappearing by the desk by the window, gently putting it down on the desk.

“Would you like for me to stay here? I can help move your items where you need them.” Blake weighed the option before ultimately deciding that Aro wouldn’t have stationed Demetri right outside her door if he was going to eat her, so she nodded.

They spent the morning with her going through the boxes and then directing him where they needed to go. Afton showed up at noon with a tray of lunch for her which she ate slowly at her desk, the two vampires in the hall to give her some privacy.

When she finished, Demetri came back in to help her. She ended up joking with him quite a bit, starting to feel more comfortable in the room with him. She was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t as brooding as she thought he was. She ended up having a really fun day up until the point where she opened a box and a picture of her team fell out. Immediately, she felt herself closing up.

Demetri’s cold hands caught her as her legs buckled. “What’s wrong.” She thought before remembering something Caius said.

“Can you take me to Marcus?” He nodded, and in a blur, she was in his arms and he was running. It wasn’t long before she was sitting in a chair at the library, Marcus’ concerned eyes on her. She turned to look at Demetri. He was gone soon after.

“Are you alright?” He asked and she glanced around the library.

“Can they hear us?” She asked. He waited a moment before he responded.

“Not anymore. What has happened?”

“Caius told me you’d be willing to listen if I ever wanted to talk to someone. That true?” When he nodded, she took a deep breath before leaning forward, placing the picture on the table and slid it over to him. At his slightly surprised look, she figured Aro _hadn’t_ told them she was a marine.

“That’s me and my team about a week after we’d be assigned to it. Damn, I knew they told us we’d become family, but we literally only took a week before we were inseparable. Nick, he’s the one to the left of me there, he was my buddy. Out of all of us, we were probably closest. No, actually, we were definitely the closest.” She took another deep breath and blinked the tears out of her eyes. Marcus’ dark onyx eyes were staring at her intently. It wasn’t making her uncomfortable, instead reminding her of the overwhelming safety she had always felt when she saw him.

“Our unit went on so many missions together, we saved each other’s lives more than once. It’s different in a war zone. But we had each other and that’s all we needed. It was hard sometimes, especially in the beginning. Most of us weren’t legally old enough to drink, but with the strain of the war, the ones who were didn’t give a shit and gave it to us anyway. They figured if you’re old enough to fight for your country then you’re plenty old enough to drink. Anyway, not the point right now.

“Hold on,” She sniffled, wiping her eyes, not giving the tears a chance to escape. “I’ve never talked about them before.” She took a deep, shuttering breath with her eyes shut, only to jump when she found herself on something much softer than the chair.

She was now sitting on one of the couches on the other side of the library, sitting right next to Marcus. She raised a brow at him.

“Take your time, Blake. I can tell you want to talk about this, and I’m honored that you chose me to talk to. I want you to be as comfortable as possible.” She gave him a thankful smile and nodded, turning to stare in front of her. She could feel his eyes watching her, but she didn’t shy away from it. She needed to talk. She actually _wanted_ to. For the first time since it happened, she wanted to talk about them.

“I was with them for three years. And I know you know about this weird sixth sense I had. Aro told you about how I could feel the danger of the coven all the way from Florence.” She turned her head to him, and he nodded. She looked back to the floor. “I’ve always had that. Always. And on the last night of my time in the military-” a sob erupted from her throat and she felt his hand come closer to her shoulder but hesitate. She leaned into it, and he immediately pulled her into his side. She curled into him, savoring the unique feeling he exuded. It was similar to the ones his brothers gave off but felt more subdued. Calmer.

“The last night,” she continued quietly, hands clasping his cloak tightly. “The last night was awful. We had orders given to us that morning. When I got them, I knew something was very wrong. And all day I ignored it. It was supposed to be a simple mission. In and out. The intel was off. And I _knew_ it. Now, especially, because these things I feel are apparently part of a supernatural gift thing-”

“You know that now,” Marcus’ soothing voice said quietly, halting her tears. They were streaming freely down her face as the gunshots echoed through her memory. “But you didn’t know it for sure then. Continue when you’re ready.” It took a few minutes her frame shaking with silent sobs as she tried to suppress the tears before she could speak.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But, I had feelings before, that I voiced to Nick. He trusted me completely and we would plan again according to the feeling I would get. I did it always. But that time, _I didn’t tell him._ I didn’t tell him because I couldn’t figure out _why._ All the other times, it was reasonable. There was a reason for it. But not that time. There was no fucking reason for me to be so worried about it and I didn’t tell him. It got him killed,” her voice broke as her tone lowered, more tears streaming down her face. “It got them all killed.”

Marcus’ soothing hands running up and down her back triggered her tears, and she spent the next fifteen minutes bawling her eyes out into his chest as he held her close. She was quietly sniffling when he began speaking.

“Blake, I don’t know all of the details, only what you have told me. However, you were a young human with a gift you didn’t understand. You, humans, are taught a very strict path that you must follow by society's rules. Many things are taught on that path, logic being one of them. Before knowing of the supernatural, it is completely natural for you to not acknowledge something you don’t have a reason to listen to. However, now that you do know, I do ask that you tell either me or one of my brothers immediately if you have another feeling like that.” When she nodded, he hummed rather loudly, the sound vibrating his chest under her face, which she sighed at.

“I understand that you may still try to fault yourself for their deaths, but you have no reason to. You knew no better. You do now. Please, darling, do not tear yourself apart about this.”

“…I don’t want to. Not anymore.” She was surprised that this was, in fact, true. She was finally starting to believe that she couldn’t have saved them. Not completely one hundred percent sure, not yet, but it was a start.

“How can I help?”

“Just…let me stay here for a little while.” She tightened her grip on his cloak and sighed deeply when he nodded. She stayed sprawled against his chest for a long time. She was almost asleep when he shifted. She looked up and he smiled apologetically.

“I have to go. You are more than welcomed to stay here.”

“I wanna go back to my room,” She murmured, moving to get to her feet. Before she could, she was in his arms and he was running. She grunted, a quiet ‘ _oof’_ leaving her before she relaxed her head onto his chest. He placed her on her bed, before giving her a long look. She smiled at him softly. “I’m okay. Promise.” He nodded and then disappeared; a look thrown at her that she couldn’t comprehend.

She laid on her bed for a moment before hauling herself up and going over to the box in which she had pulled the picture of her unit out of. She spent the next hour going through it, pulling pictures out of it, and placing them on the wall with a rolled-up piece of tape. It took several tears and pauses to catch her breath from them before she finished a small collage of her unit on the wall.

She hoped she was allowed to put stuff on the walls. But she also didn’t care if she was or wasn’t at the minute.

When she went back to the boxes, hissing at the pain in her leg from walking back and forth, she smiled a bittersweet smile. She pulled out the thick folder full of drawings and letters she did while stationed. She started flipping through them, trying not to cry at the many messy sketches she did of her unit.

Jay, the man she was second closest to, made frequent appearances in the artwork and letters. She always wrote two letters while deployed, one to mail, the other to keep for herself as a reminder. Jay had always been so energetic and optimistic, the rest of the unit clung to him. So, there were quite a few messy drawings of him mid-laugh in the folder.

After wiping away more tears, she pulled out a folder from one of the flaps. It had her drawings of the kings in it from her time deployed. It was thick, bursting with pages. She started flipping through it slowly, reminiscing the memories that each one brought.

Her hands paused when she unfolded one. It was about double the size a normal piece of paper was, and it was probably one of her best dreams of them. In the drawing, the three kings were standing on a ledge of a cliff in a forest, overlooking a large drop to a beautiful valley. Marcus was staring over at his brothers, not looking so miserable as he usually had in those days. Aro had his head thrown back in laughter, Caius smiling at him with a distinct sparkle in his eye.

It was by far the happiest she had ever seen them collectively.

She got up and walked to the door, opening it. Demetri and Afton turned their red eyes to her. She unconsciously shifted away from Afton, causing said vampire to move back a step.

“Where’s Caius?”

“In the throne room.”

“Can you take me to his study?” Blake saw the surprise that he tried to hide. He didn’t do a good job, and she tried to hide her smirk. She failed.

Demetri ended up carrying her and opening the door for her, closing it behind her. She looked around. He had a _giant_ desk in the room, about six feet away from a fireplace. There were large windows on the opposite side of the room. She noticed with a slight smile that there were no curtains, as it overlooked the countryside and not the town.

There were tons of different kinds of swords mounted on the walls. She recognized many of them, but most she was sure she had never seen or heard of before. Like most she had been in at the castle so far, it had a dark color scheme, but it distinctly just screamed _Caius._

She walked over to the desk and saw stacks upon stacks of neat papers and files. She raised a brow. She kinda figured he would have messy papers rather than neat stacks. She put what she came in here to give him on the desk, in the middle of all of the stacks. She saw a little notepad and grabbed it, along with the pen that was next to it.

_Please enjoy this. You’ve given me some of your artwork, I think an exchange is only fair._

She was pleasantly surprised at how the pen wrote, and with only a little thought at the consequences, she added something to the note.

_P.S. I’m stealing your pen._

Without another thought, she stuffed the pen in her pocket and limped back to the door. Demetri looked at her with a raised brow but carried her back to her room without a word.

She had settled down in her bed and had already hit call when the door opened with Afton bringing her dinner. She groaned but accepted it right as Jasper answered the call. She gave him a sheepish smile as she placed the plate in her lap, Afton disappearing out of the door.

“Hey, sister.” They both chuckled, and Jasper scowled as Emmett vaulted over the couch to sit next Jasper, arm around his shoulder. Blake chuckled, popping some food in her mouth.

“You two are never going to let that go, are you?” He asked and Blake grinned.

“Never, I’ve always wanted a younger brother.” Emmett laughed as Jasper snapped his head to Blake with narrowed eyes. She cackled. “What? You were younger than twenty when you turned. You won’t get any older. Therefore, younger brother.” He huffed loudly and she shook her head, a large smile on her face.

“Alright, _ma’am,_ be that way. _”_

_“_ Oh, bless your heart, Jasper.” He screeched dramatically, hand thrown over his chest and she laughed, giving him a dark smirk.

“Kick a man while he’s down, why don’t you. Insult my age and now this.” She rolled her eyes at him. He chuckled, dropping his hand. “How you doing?”

“Great! There’s this alley street thing in town that’s _covered_ in art. It’s really pretty.”

“That’s good. You enjoy your time out of the castle?” She nodded enthusiastically, eating more off of her plate.

“I see you enjoy eating more now,” Emmett said, and she rolled her eyes and flipped him the bird. His laugh was just as loud and booming over the computer as it was in real life. He silenced and Jasper sighed.

“uh oh.”

“What?”

She didn’t have long to worry about what it was they were seeing, because suddenly Bella was on screen, the screen showing the dizzying blur of being moved to fast.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were with not one, but all three of the Volturi leaders?” A beat of silence followed Bella’s outrageous cry. Then another. And another. Blake blinked dumbly at the camera. Surely, she misheard that, but at Bella’s outraged expression, she certainly hadn’t.

“ _What?”_

“Don’t _‘what’_ me. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” A nagging sense returned to Blake as she stared at her sister with pure confusion. She saw Jasper’s hand reach for the laptop, only for Edward to appear behind Bella, hand tightly clasped around his wrist.

Blake hissed at a sharp pain going through her skull

_“We will tell her, brothers, but not yet.”_ It was Aro’s voice. The last time she had heard that phrase from him in her head, it had been during a dream. And just like in her dream, a strange tugging sensation surrounded her. And telling her to grab onto it.

“What makes you think you can just whore yourself out to them?” Blake’s eyes sharpened on her sister, mouth falling open at the accusation. Several growls followed Bella’s words, both from Jasper and Emmett through the computer, and right beside her where Afton now stood.

The same tugging sensation following Aro’s voice in her head acted up more insistent. Something told her to latch onto the feeling.

She did and immediately fell into a vision that would change everything.


	24. Chapter 24

Blake found herself standing in the antechamber with a splitting headache. Caius was coming down from his seat, Marcus and Aro in the middle of the room, the rest was vacant of anyone. She had a sense that this was shortly after she had met them for the first time. There was nothing that gave her that impression, but it was in her mind. She just knew it was.

“Marcus, there was this strange pull around that human,” Caius said as he joined his brothers. Blake furrowed her brows. He felt it too?

“Yes, it seems we have finally found our mate,” Marcus’ lips kept moving but no sound was coming out as the dream glitched and seemed to fade out of focus. Blake went stock straight as soon as the words left Marcus’ lips.

_Mate._

_Our mate._

The conversation she had with Aro about soulmates, more commonly just mates, swarmed into her head. She shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. There was no way that was about her. No. None.

Why would it be??

Her breath started coming out in pants. Her already splitting headache intensified as the dream snapped back into focus. Marcus and Caius were glaring fiercely at Aro.

“…We will tell her brothers, but not yet.” Blake fell to her knees, the truth raining down on her. They had to have been talking about her. She was making progress towards not ignoring her instincts, and they were screaming at her to listen. That this was about her.

But then why didn’t they…

They didn’t want her. She sobbed, a pain spreading through her chest fiercely at the mere thought. She screamed, tears filling her eyes. Her extra sense was telling her to relax, but her head was already throwing everything for a loop.

If they wanted her like—if it was true—Caius attacked her. He came at her with the intent to _harm._ Would a mate do that? Something was telling her no. No, they wouldn’t.

She jerked, hot tears filling her eyes as she came out of the vision. Afton’s hands were on her shoulders, filling her with an overwhelming sense of _wrong._ It seemed he knew this too because he ripped his hands away from her before she could scream.

But she was hearing a scream through her ringing ears. She turned her head sluggishly to the side, seeing the computer opened, with Bella looking at the screen with wide eyes.

Blake furrowed her brows, hand coming up to her face, feeling the familiar feeling. She cut her eyes to Afton the moment her nose started bleeding. Her mind cleared and ears stopped ringing, as the danger in the room intensified.

She expected his eyes to turn black as he lunged for her like Jasper’s had done when he went for Bella, but his eyes only slightly darkened. Blake saw Demetri over Afton’s shoulder before he was suddenly a blur.

“MASTER ARO! ANATOLY!” His shout echoed through her room as her hand cupped her face.

“Blake! Don’t get eaten! Stay away from my sister!” Blake cut her eyes at her sister, hurt radiating through her as she remembered her words. She didn’t get the chance to retaliate before the laptop closed, Demetri’s hand on it. She scowled at him.

“I won’t listen to someone speak ill of you that way. Should you tilt your head back?” He handed her a towel which she bunched up and pressed to her face, the other, blood-covered hand covering it.

She felt the strong feeling of safety return as Aro was suddenly at her side. She flinched away from his hands. She didn’t miss the hurt expression that flashed across his face. And she didn’t appreciate the pang that shot through her chest at his expression. Anatoly was in front of her only a couple of moments later.

Blake let him examine her as she watched as Aro took off a glove to grasp Demetri’s hand, quickly followed by Afton’s. She rolled her eyes and focused on Anatoly.

“What happened?”

“Saw some past. Nosebleed.” She said simply, wincing as his cold, bare fingers touched her face yet again. “Do you have to keep touching me?” She snapped and immediately her eyes widened. “Sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s quite normal. Only a few more seconds. Look here.” She followed his finger with her eyes as he stared into her eyes. She squirmed under his gaze, it not feeling correct with her. She slightly relaxed when the familiarity of the comfort she had become associating with the kings entered the room, followed shortly by the vampires themselves.

She was happy to see them for all of second before her vision to come back to the forefront of her mind, and she huffed, crossing her arms. She hoped what she just saw was some kind of delusion. She would much rather it be a delusion than anything that had actually happened. If it was true, and she was their…mate than that was all kind of fucked up. That meant fate had decided to stick her with monsters that snacked on innocent people. Something that was exceptionally bad when she knew they knew there was an alternative.

That the fucked-up universe decided she didn’t get to decide who she wanted to spend her life with, she was stuck with them.

_Oh, for fuck’s sake._ Them. Plural. That’s all kinds of fucked up.

She was only a twenty-three-year-old woman. She didn’t need something to tell her what she was supposed to be doing with her life.

Did that even mean that her feelings that she had for Aro were even hers? The feelings she got when she was close to Marcus and Caius? Those were just the ties of fate? Could she not trust her own emotions now?

She nearly jumped when Caius appeared in front of her, knocking Anatoly to the side as his hand cupped her chin, forcing him to look at her. She glared at him, jaw set in a hard line. He was silent for a moment, seemingly grappling for words.

“You stole my pen.” She could tell that’s not what he wanted to say, but she reached into her pants pocket and flung it at his chest.

“Keep your fucking pen and get the hell off of me,” She hissed. He reared back, eyes wide, hand slipping off her face. Anatoly cautiously approached her again and she turned to him.

“I don’t see any signs that you may lose consciousness, but I’d like to move you to the infirmary all the same.” She nodded and lifted her arms. His eyes widened but he came forward and picked her up carefully before taking off in a run. In no time, she was back in her now usual bed in the infirmary, hooked up to all kinds of machines to monitor her vitals.

She was surprised the kings hadn’t followed, but glad all the same. She could let her rage and hurt and betrayal fester without their presence.

It had been several minutes of her clicking her jaw and cracking her knuckles as Anatoly worked on some papers before he looked over at her. “Would you like to talk about what happened to cause you to snap at Caius like _you’re_ the vampire?” She turned to glare at him. “I’ll take that as a no.” He murmured going back to his papers. Several minutes passed as she tried to figure out the emotions raging in her chest.

If her vision was real—which quite honestly, she had little doubt about it, she’d proven her dreams true with them and her only other conscious one—and the feeling that accompanied it that told her it was her they were talking about, she was seriously upset. If the feeling was right, they were talking about her, making her the human they were discussing. And then again, if Aro had another human mate, she doubted very seriously he would have done everything for her that he had. Nevermind taking her on a date.

She should have known when she went on that date.

She was upset because this meant that she didn’t get a choice about something in her life she had rarely even thought about. She was angry- no, she was fucking furious that they didn’t tell her. She thought she had a right to know something as important as that. And she felt betrayed because _they didn’t tell her._

Did this really mean everything she’s felt around them, ever felt around them, wasn’t hers? The comfort and safety she felt for them since she was a child was something that had gotten her through tough times. Was that just so she could end up here?

Blake groaned and turned her eyes back to Anatoly, who was pointedly looking at his clipboard. She knew no one else was outside, so she took a deep breath. “Anatoly.” He appeared by her bed. “Do you have a mate?” His eyebrows shot up as he slowly blinked at her.

“…no.” Her shoulders slumped. “But I’ve met many. If you have any questions, I can answer them to the best of my ability. Doctor-patient confidentiality on top of that.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes, a frown taking up residence on her face.

“Until Aro gets ahold of you.” She crossed her arms, careful not to mess up the wires around her. “What is it?”

“It’s…love. In its purest form.” Her heart seized and started racing. She snapped her head to the doors as the familiar feeling started approaching. She glared at it the best she could. She knew there was no intimidating a vampire, especially not them, but she wanted them to know she was pissed.

Mission accomplished.

As soon as the doors opened, the three of them froze. Afton and Demetri cautiously closed the door behind them. Aro was the first to move, giving her a blinding smile, even as his posture held barely concealed rage.

A rage that had her shuffling away from him and Anatoly to hold up a hand.

“Do not listen to your sister’s harsh words. She’s not here and knows _nothing_ of what you’re doing here.” She knew he was referring to how Bella had just called her a whore, but right now she was questioning if that’s really what was happening.

Is that what this _mate thing_ meant?

She decided on simply turning her eyes away from them, glaring at the foot of the bed.

“Maybe you should take a step out-” Anatoly’s voice suddenly cutting off had her looking up only to roll her eyes at Aro’s bare hand clasped tightly on Anatoly’s. Of course. It’s just how hungry he was for information. It wasn’t a surprise to her. He wanted to know things. She knew this from watching him for her entire life.

That put a new thought in her head that had her ready to cry again.

What if that entire scene she just saw was staged after they figured out she could see the past, hoping she’d see it. And their being nice to her was simply so she would relax and become comfortable with them enough to share what Aro couldn’t see in her thoughts.

Scratch that almost. It did make her cry.

She could almost feel her heart break at knowing that Aro would do something like that, and it certainly made more sense than her being the _literal soulmate_ of the three perfectly dangerous kings. And it made more sense on why her intuition said a soulmate wouldn’t attack the other when Caius had done so to her.

Immediately as her tears started streaming down her face, three pairs of freezing hands were on her, which calmed some of the turmoil in her. The only made her angrier. She slid down the bed, out of their hands.

“Stop! Just stop it already! Whatever you want to know I’ll tell you! Just stop playing this game with me! I can’t take it. Please!” she sobbed, hands coming up to hide her face as she laid on her bed, harsh sobs wracking her frame. “I don’t care what it is. I’ll tell you. I would have told you without all of this. Please just stop. I can’t handle it.” She could almost feel their dark stares on her.

This made so much more sense. The cryptic answers. The dark looks. The trust that they seemed to put in her for no reason. It was all an act. She trusted them and it was all an act. They wanted what was in her head. They could fucking have it, for all she cared.

“Please,” Her voice was barely more than a whisper as it broke. Her eyes were screwed tight under her hands. Her entire face was wet with tears as she quietly sobbed. Hands landed on the bed next to her, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the cold seeping through her. Seeing as they were on both sides of her, she couldn’t do anything but push herself further into the bed. She could practically feel them talking above her, silent to her inferior senses.

“Blake…” Aro’s voice was gentle and she flinched.

“NO!” She screamed from under her hands, harsher sobs wrecking her frame, causing her leg to flare up with its own round of pain, which she graciously accepted. She’d much rather feel physical pain than the excruciating pain eating at her heart.

She’d never felt pain like this before. It was terrible, making her wish she’d die immediately to relieve the pain from the experience.

“Just…stop with the games…please. Can’t take it.” Her energy was suddenly gone, and even though her eyes were already closed, she could feel them get heavier. She fell into a restless sleep.

When she woke up, she was glad that she didn’t have any more of her dreams of the past. But the excruciating ache in her chest made her wish she hadn’t woken up. It took her a moment to realize the comfort feeling was still around her. She snapped her eyes open and they landed on Caius. He was sitting next to her bed, arms crossed as his dark eyes watched her. She watched as his shoulders slowly slumped.

He sighed, before rubbing his face with his hands. She almost appreciated the moment before she remembered he was probably doing it for her benefit. But then he looked back up at her and she paused. Suddenly all of the conclusions she made were being second-guessed.

Because Caius looked _genuinely concerned._

“What happened?” He asked. “What happened to cause you to break down like that?” She didn’t feel very confident in her earlier assessments anymore. “We’re the only two in here. So, tell me.”

“I- I saw it.”

“Saw what?” he growled, eyes pained as they watched her. She swallowed nervously. “What game do you think we’re playing? Because if my brothers are doing something to harm you, there will be hell to pay.” When she hesitated, he sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, hands clasped under his chin. “You think you’ve seen it, so tell me about it. I can tell you if it’s what you thought it was, or explain what it really was. You said you can tell when people lie.”

“I’m not so sure it works on you three.” She murmured, and he raised an eyebrow as he moved the stool closer. The comfort she felt intensified before she pushed it away. That wasn’t natural. And Jasper wasn’t here so it really didn’t make any sense. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make me feel safe. You three are the furthest thing from safe in the world. How can you do that?” She felt her fury ignite even more when she saw his lips turn up.

“We make you feel safe?” At her dark look, his small smirk fell. “Tell me, Blake.”

She stared at him, trying to find the will to not, but she wanted to make sure they knew she knew what they were doing. Even though nothing about her conclusions about the whole thing felt right, she wasn’t going to back down. Because it was the only thing that _logically_ made sense. She internally groaned as Marcus’ conversation about logic entered her head, which she promptly ignored.

“The three of you were going on about me being your mate. Which makes no sense. Because, _fuck_ , you three are perfect. You’re dangerous _vampires._ You eat humans like me. I’m willing to put money that you three were going to kill me if I hadn’t had a gift.” He had gone wide-eyed at her first sentence, mouth opened slightly. At that last sentence, he flinched. “It didn’t make any sense on why you would attack me if I was. But then everything made sense. Because it was an act.” Her voice broke, and Caius’ eyes looked murderous, but she wouldn’t allow it to stop her before she finished. “Aro can’t see into my head, and it’s no secret that Aro wants to know everything. It’d make sense for you guys to want me to trust you to tell you everything I can do.

“You’re very old vampires, so it’s not like it would have been hard for you to break out a plan. Aro even sent away his wife for it to work.” Caius opened his mouth, but no sound came out as she continued. _“For fuck’s sake,_ if you just wanted to know what I could see, you didn’t have to fake all of this. All you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to manip-”

“You,” Caius suddenly found his voice, as the one word left him in a growl, silencing her. She stared at him with wide eyes, practically feeling the rage come off of him. “You’d think we’d fake you being our _mate,_ to find out what’s in your _head?”_ He hissed and she scooted back as he stood in a blur, the stool flying away from and crashing through the wall. “I can slightly understand why you’d think that. We don’t exactly have the greatest reputation in our world. But-” he sighed, closing his eyes. “tell me what you saw that started this. Tell me exactly.” She didn’t even bother fighting it, she didn’t need this emotional torture to continue. She launched into describing the vision and he let out a sound she could only describe as a whine when she finished.

She didn’t even see him move, but she was in his arms, him sitting behind her on the bed, her back pulled to his chest. She tried to fight him, but his leg wrapped around both of hers, arms holding hers to her chest. She tensed when she felt his face going towards her neck.

“Oh, little Swan, no. No. You have it all wrong. I am so sorry you have that impression of us. Though, I cannot blame you. I’d certainly believe it if I was in your position. Blake, you are no game to us.”

“What happened to Sulpicia then?” He tensed behind her.

“She went away.”

“Was she ordered?” At his silence, she bristled, more tears filling her eyes. “Can you honestly tell me that Aro didn’t send her away because of me?”

“He did. But not because you are a game. You aren’t something to be toyed with. Suplicia was sent away because of the agreement she and Aro had. That she would leave if he ever found his mate. Which he did.” She shook her head, tears sliding down her face.

“Please,” She sobbed, and he tightened his grip on her. She felt his breath against her throat and tensed, clenching her eyes shut. She jumped when she felt his lips press a light kiss to the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

“I won’t hide this from you. I told Aro it was a bad idea when he ordered us not to tell you. That scene you saw earlier, was not staged as you believe. It happened the moment Carlisle led Jasper and you to Aro’s study. We can feel the pull of the bond to you, and Marcus had shown Aro the beginnings of your bond to you when he left his throne.

“He surprised the entire room when he called out to Aro. He has not done so in a very long time. Marcus and I have been arguing with Aro since that we should tell you. You deserve to know. Unfortunately, Aro makes decisions like this. I won’t hide this from you any longer. In fact, Marcus and I had already planned to tell you tomorrow night while Aro was out of the castle. Even if we had to fight through his entire guard to do it.

“Blake, you re truly our mate. I will never forgive myself for going after you. It is something I have regretted since the moment my mind cleared from Renata’s influence. I shall be furious with Aro for not letting us tell you and causing this reaction to happen.”

Blake hated how she was believing his words. She could feel the truth of them deep inside her. The very concept of souls wasn’t something she fancied herself a believer on, but she knew she was feeling this in her soul. It made her wary, because if it was true, then her earlier fears were still true.

Her feelings couldn’t be her own.

She started sobbing harder at the thought. Caius’ arms tightened on her, and her sobs quieted slightly the moment he started purring. With him holding her as close as possible without breaking her, she could feel the rumbles of it all the way through her chest. He nuzzled her neck, nose tracing the lines of her throat.

“…it’s true, then?” He nodded, not stopping his purrs. “Then is anything I feel for you guys real?” His purrs halted for a second before resuming.

“yes.” She screamed at Marcus’ voice, not expecting anyone other than Caius to answer. Before she could even turn to yell at Caius about him lying to her about being alone, he beat her to it.

“He walked in as you asked that. He wasn’t here.” She hadn’t noticed, too caught up in crying and feeling Caius purr against her, but now she could feel the intensified feeling of safety and comfort.

“The mate bond cannot form feelings, or thoughts, or actions. The only thing it does is draw the involved parties closer together. It is very truly a soulmate bond. The people involved are merely suited for each other. Any feelings that arise are natural and not from outside manipulation. Did you feel like your emotions with Jasper weren’t real?” She furrowed her brows and shook her head. “Then why do you feel like that with us?”

She froze. She didn’t want to admit to all that out loud. “It’s not right. It’s not natural. Why does fate get to decide who I’m with?”

“Blake, we need to explain this to you better than you know already. For now, you need rest.” She shook her head. But then her arm was held out, and she jumped, not expecting a needle to go into her arm. Anatoly removed the needle from her arm, ignoring the growls from both Caius and Marcus as he moved back.

Blake blinked rapidly, already feeling the effects of the very obvious sedative the doctor had just injected her with. Blake found herself being untangled from Caius’ limbs as she straightened against the bed, fighting her eyes to stay awake.

The last thing she saw was Caius lunging at Aro’s throat.


	25. Chapter 25

Blake woke up several times, only for Anatoly to stick her with another needle that had her falling back into unconsciousness. After the last time, it didn’t seem to be enough to stop the vision from coming.

Marcus was holding back Caius in the halls, Aro sprawled on the floor, cracks running up and down his neck and face. Caius’ lips were pulled back in a growl as he struggled against Marcus’ hold on his arms.

Marcus himself looked furious as well but was still restraining Caius by the arms. Caius nearly got out of his arms, so, in a blur, he had Caius in a headlock, the loud crashing of stone echoing through the halls.

Caius growled something in a language before he shook his head, a snarl leaving his lips. “She thinks it’s a _fucking act._ Because you wouldn’t let us tell her. If we could have told her she would have never had the chance to feel like we’ve messed with her head and emotions. Every ounce of hurt she’s feeling right now is on _you.”_ Aro looked up at him with wide, shiny eyes.

“Brother-”

“You don’t get to call me that now. Our mate just broke down because of _your decision._ I cannot even begin to comprehend what she must be feeling. On top of that, she doesn’t even think she can trust her own feelings. In all our years I have never wanted to kill you more,” His voice was dark and loud. Aro shook his head, mouth opened but no sound coming out.

“I have a plan-”

“Your plans are horrid,” Marcus growled and Aro quickly shook his head and winced, hand coming up to rest over the cracks on his throat.

“Not this one. I promise you.”

She groggily opened her eyes a couple of times, squinting through the blurry vision. She groaned, stretching her body.

“Hello there, ma’am.” Her eyes flew open and she sat up when her eyes landed on Jasper. His hands landed on her shoulders, pushing her gently back into the bed.

“Jasper?” She gasped, flopping back into the bed. He gave her a dazzling smile. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to see you.”

“We?” She saw Alice out of the corner of her eye as she skipped over to where Jasper was. They wrapped into each other’s arms, looking into each other’s eyes. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes away, a pang shooting through her chest.

“Hello, Blake.” She turned back and gave Alice a small smile. “Aro called us here.” Immediately, her smile fell. Alice came forward to put her hand on Blake’s elbow. “Don’t think about him. Right now, it’s just me, you, and your brother.” She flinched. She really wasn’t opposed to Jasper being her soul-brother. But the idea of a soulmate- that was horrifying to her, and she wasn’t sure why.

“What do you mean Aro called you? When?”

“Apparently right after Caius told you everything.” She furrowed her brows, trying to look around to find a semblance of time. She hadn’t been asleep that long, had she?

“How long…?”

“We’ve been here for three hours.” She turned her scowl towards the tall ceiling.

“Where’s Anatoly?” She snapped. The two vampires to her left exchanged quiet murmurs before she saw a blur heading out of the infirmary. “They drugged me,” she grumbled, crossing her still heavy arms over her chest.

“It was to calm you,” Anatoly’s accented voice said as he and Alice showed back up. “You needed rest and you needed to be calm. Now you have your brother for that.”

“How long did you keep me knocked out?”

“It’s been twenty-five hours.” She picked her head up to glare at Anatoly. He gave her a small smile. “I thought it’d be best to wait for you to wake in the presence of your brother. You were quite shaken up.” Her glare deepened and he sighed. “I’ll leave you three. Send for me if you need anything.” With that, he disappeared out of the door.

“I didn’t realize how much like humans you guys were until I came here. I thought you were glaringly obvious in your home, but everyone here is more obvious about it.”

“They don’t immerse themselves into the human world as much as we do. We continue strictly out of habit to keep up the pretense easily when we are.” Blake nodded. “But, enough about that. Since I got here, I had a vision and I know why Aro called us here. You don’t think your emotions about them are your own. He wanted us here because not only is Jasper your brother in every way that counts, but we’re mates. He wants you to see what it’s really like.”

Blake turned her head to where Alice was speaking, hands clasped firmly on one of Jasper’s arms as they both looked at her.

“He brought you here…to explain soulmates?” She couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice, and she felt Jasper’s soothing calm try to attach to her. He raised his brows at her and she sighed but allowed it to drain away her anger and contempt, leaving nothing but calmness which had her sighing, and pushing herself to sit up against the pillows.

“As an empath, I’m pretty well informed of emotions. Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you? We can go from there.” She stared him for a long moment before a feeling of resignation fell over her which caused her to send a playful glare at him.

“no fair.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” His smirk showed he wasn’t sorry at all.

“Okay, so mates. Doesn’t that mean that there’s like…no free will?” Alice frowned, and Jasper shook his head.

“No, there’s always free will. I don’t know how to explain this to you…mates are not fairytale love stories. They’re real and they need to grow on their own. The bond draws each individual to the other. Of course, someone could choose to ignore it and seek out another partner or partners, but there really is no point. Mates are perfect for each other. Personalities click together so well that with time they almost seem to be one.” At this, both he and Alice exchanged a very emotional look. Jasper turned back to her, taking a deep breath. “I understand that it may be strange to wrap your head around it, but it’s really a good thing. When I met Alice, I was in a very tough spot. I didn’t want to be living anymore. She showed me how much more an immortal life had to offer than why I had previously experienced.” Alice titled her head up to stare at his face with a bittersweet smile. Blake noticed how he tightened his grip on her hand.

“And it’s not like, we saw each other and wanted nothing more to jump each other’s bones.” Blake’s eyebrows shot up at Alice’s words, and Jasper gave a low chuckle. “We started a relationship. Sure, usually with mates they move a little faster than normal dating, but that’s because we’re literally perfect for each other. You feel safe, you’re drawn to them. They’re perfect, they’re your protector, they want you happy. It’s a mutual thing.” Blake felt like that last little bit was aimed a little more about her situation than anything else.

“Mates are drawn to each other, care for each other out of instinct at first. Making that into a relationship takes work like any other relationship, though much faster. Instinctual longing plays a large part in it. Rejecting a mate hurts because your very essence knows them and wants them. But it’s possible.” Blake was glad they were giving her all the facts, so she just had to listen, her mind didn’t get the chance to run away with conspiracies at the moment.

“Blake, don’t run from them.” Jasper’s golden eyes were intense as she stared into them. “You’ll be good for them. They’ll cherish you if you let them.” She cut her eyes to Alice who suddenly looked very frustrated.

“I can’t see your future, haven’t been able to since you received that first letter from him. The only time since then that I’ve seen you was when we first arrived, and I’ve already told you that. But I don’t need to see the future to know it. When we got here, they were the first ones to greet us. That _never_ happens. The guard is always the first to meet the guests. They looked awful if not a little banged up.” Alice and Jasper shared small smiles. “Caius especially. Jasper could feel their emotions as they explained to us the bare minimum of what happened. They respect your privacy very much, Blake. Jasper, you want to share?” Jasper smiled softly at Blake. Alice reached up to press a kiss to Jasper’s cheek, which had him grinning from ear to ear as he looked down at her.

“Their emotions were all over the place, Blake. But they were worried and protective. Aro felt terrible, and it serves him right if you ask me. I honestly thought they had told you when you called me. I thought something like this would happen if they didn’t. When we got here, they didn’t want to leave you. They were angry at themselves, at Aro, they all felt so much guilt-”

“Why?” She asked, tears filling her eyes.

“Ask them.” She frowned, blinking the tears out of her eyes, allowing his calm to once again remove the sadness from her. “They were so protective and worried for you. It was endearing, really. It’s not often I can feel the emotions of just introduced mates. Blake, they could really treat you so well, if you let them.”

“But…there’s three of them.” She whispered, Bella’s words coming back, making her feel hurt, angry, and guilty all at once.

“yes, and? Blake, get those westernized ideas out of your head. It’s perfectly okay to love more than one person. Polyamory is a thing and there’s _nothing wrong with it._ ” Alice said and Blake shook her head, tears coming to her eyes.

“But Bella…”

“Bella didn’t know what she was talking about.” Alice’s eyes were suddenly pitch black, along with Jasper’s. “Bella was just listening to what Edward was saying, and she took what she heard from him out of context and jumped to conclusions. I’ve never been so mad at her before. Not even when she ran from us in Phoenix. She had no right. You are no whore, Blake. And you won’t be if you enter a relationship with them. I can’t see what will happen, but speaking from experience, both ours and other mated groups, you will be happy if you let yourself be,” Alice said. Jasper gave her a little nudge and she giggled, before smiling brightly at Blake.

“We won’t be saying any more on the matter. If you have questions, ask them. But we won’t bring it up for the duration of our stay. I know Jasper has just missed hanging out with you.” Suddenly, Alice looked sheepish. “Is that something you’d want? Or are you still mad at us?” Blake rolled her eyes and sat up, reaching for the both of them before pulling them into a hug. She ignored her screaming instincts that were telling her danger literally had its arms around her.

She knew it was just because they were vampires, not because they would hurt her. She had felt the difference while here.

“thank you,” She whispered, tightening her grip on them. They returned the favor. She didn’t say what it was she was thankful for, but she figured they knew. They gave her a lot to think about and did quiet her fears about no free will. She was thankful for that. But she also wasn’t ready to think about any of it, so she simply smiled at them.

Hours later, Anatoly came back and deemed her okay to leave the infirmary. She spent the next three days closed in her room with Alice and Jasper. She could feel Aro’s presence through the many walls but refused to acknowledge it. Several times, she knew he had come to her door, only to leave. It amused her that Alice and Jasper would only exchange looks whenever he did so and would stay quiet.

She was enjoying her time with Jasper, her _brother_ –she still rolled her eyes anytime she referred to him as that, but it was with fondness—and she suspected that his presence had kept her from going apeshit and destroying everything in her room. He and Alice both kept their word and didn’t bring up the fact that she was bonded to the kings up again. Though in the late night as she battled sleep, she did ask them several things.

One that had her embarrassed when she remembered it: ‘ _When I do this, will it make me a bad person?’_

When. Not if. She had said when.

That thought should terrify her, but really, she was excited about what her future would hold. She felt that way even without her extra sense telling her to be happy about it. She had always clung to them, and now, she had to chance to _literally_ cling to them. She couldn’t deny the happy butterflies that exploded anytime she remembered being in any of their arms.

And Aro. She was beyond pissed at him, first off. But, she couldn’t deny how he made her feel. He was always so sweet to her. All the things he did for her to make her feel comfortable. And he was still allowing her to talk to her dad and anyone else she wished to.

But she was still beyond angry.

She felt guilty for thinking they played her for all of five minutes before she had gotten angry. She didn’t need to feel guilty. _They_ did. Their actions are what caused it. Not her. She had nothing to be guilty about.

That may have been told to her by Jasper immediately after she had told herself, and he did a much better job at convincing her that she could herself.

On the day they were supposed to leave, Blake curled up against Jasper, arm thrown around his shoulders, her legs over his lap. She pressed her face against his chest. She was surprised at how natural it felt. Because with Bella, anytime they got close like this, they both just felt weird. Not with Jasper.

Just thinking of Bella pissed her off right now, 

He let her, one hand just resting on her back. They both watched as Alice flitted back and forth, taking the new clothes out of her closet and on the bed, talking about how things could be worn, and how she could fix others. This had been happening for an hour.

Alice brought out a black satin dress. It, like the rest of the clothes, had sleeves and would cover her legs, but this one had a lace back. Which Alice looked at and promptly sneered and threw it on the bed.

“The tailor who did this one was awful.” Blake furrowed her brows and relaxed as Jasper’s influence moved away her confusion and left her curiosity there.

“Tailor?” Alice nodded, a very frustrated expression on her face as she stared at the dress.

“Darlin’, maybe come here?” Jasper asked and Alice looked up and scowled at him before she sighed and looked at Blake.

“Wait, did you not know these were tailored?” Blake slowly shook her head. She knew the one outfit she had worn had fit her exceptionally well but hadn’t thought anything of it. She wasn’t much of a clothes person.

Alice’s face split into a large smile as she jumped in place, hands clasped firmly together in front of her. “Aww, he tailored the clothes for you! Isn’t that sweet?” she turned back to the stack of clothing. “This wasn’t the same one as the rest. I wonder what happened? Because this one sucks. She messed up the pattern of the lace. It would have been so pretty too.”

It sure would. On someone, not Blake. The laceback would cover her entire back, meaning her scars would be visible. There was no way she was going to wear it.

“You can have it. Maybe you could fix it. It’d look nice on you,” Blake said softly, adjusting her head against Jasper’s chest. His fingers flexed against her back. She knew he had sensed the sorrow that filled her, but thankfully he left it alone. She needed to feel her own emotions for the most part. And the sorrow and disgust relating to her scars weren’t nothing new.

Alice's eyes brightened as she looked back up. “Really?” Blake nodded. “But, it’d look nice on you.”

“Alice, take it. I don’t want it.” That was all she needed to say because she was then squished between the two vampires. She grunted but used her arm she wasn’t laying on to wrap around Alice. Jasper chuckled as he wrapped his arm around them both.

“Thank you, thank you!” Alice squealed before she was off of her, back at the bed as she took the dress of the hangar. Both Jasper and Blake erupted into laughs causing Alice to stick her tongue out. When Alice stuffed the dress into her bag, Blake frowned, tightening her grip on Jasper.

“do you have to go?” She asked. Jasper took a deep breath and nodded, she felt his head move.

“yes, my sudden disappearance would cause problems. As well as Alice’s.” She nodded, she knew that, but she really didn’t want him to leave.

“Well, I for one, am eager to get back to Forks. There’s just so much going on. Graduation is only a few months away. I want the party to be perfect. And without us here, you have to stop being a hermit.” It wasn’t an outright jab about the kings, so she let it slide even if she didn’t want to.

“I know. But still. I like you guys here.” As soon as Blake finished her sentence, Alice gasped, eyes wide as the shirt in her hands fell to the floor. Blake moved off of Jasper and he appeared by Alice’s side in an instant, brows furrowed as he took her hands in his.

When Alice blinked and gasped again, he tightened his grip. “Alice, darlin’, you wanna share that one with me?” He asked. Alice shook her head and sent him a small smile.

“It’s just a possibility. Don’t worry about it.” Alice turned and went back to the closet. Blake didn’t need to be an empath to know that she was shaken up. She turned her eyes back to Jasper as he reclaimed his seat. He reached over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She leaned back onto him, closing her eyes. She could almost believe that everything was fine at the moment. She could almost convince herself that she wouldn’t have a breakdown the moment they left. She knew she would. So far, anytime her thoughts went spiraling down the path that was the kings, Jasper would calm her down, and subsequentially, that caused her to stop thinking about them.

But when he left there would be nothing left to calm her down. She’d have to face them sooner or later. And she very vividly remembered the many warnings of how Caius was not a patient person.

She shook her head, Jasper’s calm attaching to her again. “I really don’t want you to go. It almost feels like before you left.” Jasper wrapped his other arm around her and held her close.

“It won’t be the last we see of each other. Regardless of what happens with them. I promise you.” She felt better, knowing he wouldn’t intentionally break another promise to her. Not after everything. But that also brought to the forefront of her mind that whether or not she accepted the mate bond, she was either going to die or become a vampire. She really didn’t want to dwell on either option, so instead, she made her mind focus on the present.

Hours later, she walked with Jasper, Alice, and Demetri towards the garage. It was after sunset, so they were free to go when they wished. She didn’t want to let them go without her, so she insisted on walking with them. Alice’s bag was filled with several of the dresses and blouses that she knew she wouldn’t wear. It felt like giving them to Alice beat having them sit in the closet.

She also kinda hoped it would piss Aro off. At least a little.

She all but tackled Jasper into a hug when they got to the yellow sportscar that they would be leaving in. She was informed that Alice had _borrowed_ it when their flight landed.

Jasper held her just as tight as she held him. She felt the sadness come, but he nudged it away. She laughed. “You know that’s just going to come back when you leave.” Jasper chuckled but didn’t argue the point, instead simply putting her back down on her feet, but still didn’t release her.

“Stay mad as long as you like, but don’t be mad for the wrong reasons,” He whispered to her as he released her. He pressed a kiss against her hair that had her frozen. He grinned at her and stepped into the car. “Think about what we said.” She nodded and he got into the car. Alice hovered near her, and she sighed, opening her arms. Alice pounced, wrapping her arms around her. Blake shrieked, and Demetri’s hand on her shoulder stabilized her.

“I’ll be expecting a phone call. Give me something to squeal about.” Before Blake could even process that, Alice was in the car driving off. She blinked and turned to Demetri.

“What just happened?” He snorted and took her back to her room. She tried to sleep, but she had gotten used to Jasper’s unnatural calm that he used to help keep her nightmares—and visions though that never came up in conversation—away. She gave up at about two in the morning and ventured to the door.

“Take me to Aro?”

“The masters are busy-”

“They’re all in Aro’s chambers.” She could feel all their energies together in that general direction. “Either take me there or I’ll go on my fucking own. Aro said no matter if he was busy, I could go to him anyway.” She felt only slightly bad about bringing that up. Demetri hadn’t once refused to do something for her and figured there was a reason he had originally said no. He looked between her and Afton before sighing loudly and moved out of the way, sweeping his arm out. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the big bad vampires eat you.” Demetri scowled and Afton let out a surprised laugh.

Her nerves were skyrocketing the closer she got to his chambers, but she knew she’d rather see them sooner rather than later. And she couldn’t deny the weird feeling surrounding them comforted her and she needed the comfort to sleep tonight.

Demetri opened the door for her and closed it behind her. She walked into the first room which was a very large formal room, like a living room. Empty. She turned and headed down the long hall. The doors were at the end of the hall, the one on the left being Aro’s private office, the one on the right being his bedroom. As she got closer, she could tell they were in his office.

She went into the right one.

She toed off her slippers and slipped into the bed. She knew they were aware she was in here. She expected them to come in immediately, she honestly didn’t expect to get into the chambers without one of them immediately being in her line of sight.

She was going to just go to sleep, but then Jasper’s words came back to her mind and she huffed. “Are you guys that busy or are you just giving me space?” she said and immediately, the three of them were standing at the foot of the bed.

“We’re never too busy for you.” They looked _awful._ Their eyes were dark onyx, that wasn’t unusual, but they were dull, almost like how Marcus’ eyes looked in her dreams before she met him. They each had dark circles around their eyes. It didn’t look like they’d showered recently either, their hair was not messy, but it wasn’t neat either.

“You three look terrible,” she said, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at having them giving her intent looks. She tried her eyes off of Aro, though. She was positively pissed at him.

“Are you alright, little one?” Marcus asked. She looked away from them, burrowing into the covers.

“Couldn’t sleep.” There were several moments of awkward silence as she stubbornly kept her eyes away from them. She had intended on talking but no longer felt like it. Not even a little bit. She took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.

“We’ll leave you to sleep, then…” Another moment of silence. “Sleep well, darl-.” She was able to suppress the flinch that threatened to happen when Marcus stopped himself from calling her darling. She nodded, eyes shut as she curled into the pillows. And they left, she felt their comforting presence diminish, but only a little, seeing as they right across the hall.

She hadn’t been able to sleep well, and the moment she felt the presence disappear, her eyes snapped open. It wasn’t gone, but significantly less strong. She furrowed her brow and turned her head. One of them was in the dark room.

“Hey,” She decided would be the best greeting. There was a short moment of silence before she felt the swoosh of wind, a cold hand landing on her shoulder.

“Hello.” It was Caius.

“What’s going on?” She said, blinking up at his shadowy form. He merely shushed her and told her to go back to sleep.

“I can’t.” She waited a moment before rolling over and pulling the covers with her. It seemed like time stopped for a moment, neither of them moving as she held the sheets up. “Are you coming?” In a flash, the bed was suddenly uneven, and gravity rolled her into his chest, a quiet ‘oof’ leaving her, dropping the sheets. She cautiously brought her hand up to rest on his chest where his heart would be. She shifted so she was laying on him comfortably. She hadn’t felt him move since he got under the covers.

“Is this okay?” her voice was quiet, and she cursed herself for it. She didn’t want to seem like she needed this, but truth be told, she did. She felt much safer against his chest, and could already feel herself drifting off to sleep. So, when his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her firmly against him, her heart definitely did _not_ flutter. Nope. Didn’t happen.

“It’s perfect,” he murmured. That brought a blush to her cheeks which she definitely couldn’t deny.

“We need to seriously talk.”

“Of course,” He said immediately, tightening his grip on her.

“I’m pissed,” She mumbled, eyelids drooping.

“You have every right to be.” She nodded off a couple of times before she forced her eyes open.

“Did you hurt Aro?” When he stayed silent, she elaborated. “I saw you lunge for him in the infirmary.”

“…yes.”

“good.” And with that she was asleep. And she was asleep in the arms of one of her mates. She figured that was her subconscious already telling her she needed them. That she wanted them. Because she did, she always had. But now, now that she had them in her grasp, she was terrified. She didn’t know what to do.

But something was telling her that it would all be fine.

Eventually.


	26. Chapter 26

Blake woke up feeling eyes on her. She turned her head, still against Caius’ cold chest, and saw Aro standing in the doorway, staring at her with an absolutely devastated look on his face. She glared at him.

“I’m mad at you.” Was all she said before she buried her face back into Caius’ chest. She rose and fell slowly with each unneeded breath that he took. It was comforting. And being against him, she wasn’t as scared about the whole, mates for life thing. Jasper and Alice explaining things to her helped tremendously with that. Because without them, she’d probably still be in her room hiding from them and the truth.

Truth was, she wanted them.

And then Bella’s hurtful words came back and she flinched. Caius’s hand immediately landed on her head.

“What is it?”

“Nothin’,” She mumbled into his chest. He huffed playfully. She opened one eye to glare at him. “Fine. I’m pissed at Bella.” His eyes narrowed immediately.

“She had no right to degrade you so. Even if you were…with us, that would not warrant such blatant disrespect. Especially not from a blood relative. She’s lucky she’s not part of our coven.” Blake couldn’t suppress the shiver that went down her spine. She didn’t want to know what was going through his mind, but seeing his dark expression, it couldn’t be good. She picked her head up and leveled him with a stare.

“Hey, what she said was hurtful and uncalled for, but she’s still my sister.” He took a deep breath but nodded.

“I’ll try to refrain from making comments about her then.” She nodded and plopped her head back onto his chest. She felt the comforting feeling diminish slightly and knew Aro had left again.

She stayed where she was before she very deliberately sat up, and looked down at him, brushing her long, tangled hair out of her face. “We need to talk.” He pushed himself up and had his back against the bedframe. She turned away from him.

“Would you like me to gather them?”

“No. I want just us to talk right now.” She turned back to him. “And please, _please_ don’t lie to me.” He nodded.

“Never.” She nodded and shifted so she was sitting crisscross. She was only vaguely embarrassed by how she probably looked but shook that thought away. Now wasn’t the time for that. She looked at him, her heart picking up as he watched her. She turned her eyes away from him, taking a deep breath.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Aro forbade it. Marcus and I disagreed with it, of course.”

“Why didn’t he want me to know?”

“He said that you wouldn’t take well to learning of the mate bond with us.” Well, he wasn’t wrong, but Blake refused to say anything, her frown at the bed only deepening. “I will not pretend to understand the mental process of humans, that was more of Aro’s interest. Since he had seen your thoughts, I figured he would know well.”

“You said you were going to tell me,” She said as she turned back to him. He gave her a small smirk.

“I was. I, forgive me for my language, but I frankly, did not give a fuck. I needed you to know. Marcus did as well.” At the reminder that she was connected to multiple people, she turned back away from him. “I would gladly fight Aro again if given the opportunity for putting you through this.” She tried to fight the smirk that made its way to her face and failed miserably.

“He would deserve it,” she muttered. Already, she had envisioned beating him to a bloody pulp, before she remembered he was a vampire and they couldn’t bleed, and fighting him would only hurt herself.

“he would. He deserves to be dismantled and stored in different containers for a decade or two.” She snapped her head to him at his completely calm voice. “He shouldn’t have caused you so much distress.”

“I’m the one who had the freakout,” She muttered and found his hands on her face, him staring intently into her eyes.

“Your emotions are not something to feel bad about. You reached an awful conclusion based on what you had witnessed here, and it is no one’s fault but our own. And-” he cut off, looking at the door, a dark growl rumbling through his chest. “Your sister keeps calling your phone, would you like to talk to her?” When she nodded, he pursed his lips but nodded and disappeared, reappearing only a second later with her phone in his hand. She took it with a quiet ‘thank you.’ She pat the spot back on the bed, which he gave a dark smirk.

“I will keep my distance while you’re conversing with her. I do not think I could restrain myself from saying some things to her that would surely tarnish your relationship more.” She opened her mouth to respond, but her phone started ringing. When she looked back up, Caius was on the other side of the room, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

She answered the phone.

“Blake? Oh my god! I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me!” Blake’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. Bella sounded completely hysterical. It was very obvious she was crying. “I didn’t know what I was talking about. Edward was telling me about things some covens do, and I made a conclusion that you must be doing it with them. It was just the way he made it sound, I’m sorry. And so is he. I feel like a complete and utter bitch. And then Edward let me take the laptop from Jasper and then…yeah.”

Blake glared at the bedsheet which she had fisted in her free hand. A moment passed, with only Bella’s sniffling in her ear.

“Blake…?”

“Thanks for apologizing.” With that, she snapped the phone closed and tossed it to the side. She looked up, making eye contact with Caius. He appeared back on the bed, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She leaned into it, screwing her eyes shut to stop from crying again. She had cried more this week than she had in a very long time and she was tired of it.

“When I left, you wanted me back within a week…”

“yes. And you came.” She nodded once. “Why?” She hesitated and he pulled her closer, her head ended up against his shoulder as they both sat back against the headboard. “Don’t worry about anything. Just tell me. I promised not to lie to you. If you don’t wish to discuss it now, I’ll drop it.”

“No, it’s just. I came back because it felt like something good was going to happen once I was here. I came back when you said because it sent a thrill through me at being back when you said, knowing you were so angry at me being gone. Honestly, I didn’t even know if that was about me or not. Which is why the night I got here I so heavily hinted at it.”

“yes, we were surprised but didn’t want to frighten you with our questions. Especially not your first night here.” She gave his arm a slight squeeze. “I promised I would not lie to you, Blake. I would hate to be you. To be bound to the three of us,” He paused, his shoulders rising with a deep breath. She furrowed her brows but waited. She wanted to know everything they had to say. “It will not be easy. None of us are exactly easy to love.” He turned to her and she lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him in his eyes. He was staring at her with such an intense look that a shiver went down her spine. “We will love you regardless of whether or not you choose to _reject_ -” the word came out as a growl, his eyes darkening. But she didn’t flinch- “us. We may not be the best at expressing it, but we will each have our own ways.” She nodded, leaning her head back on his shoulder.

There really wasn’t a possibility of her rejecting them. Not when the very thought made her entire being ache. She didn’t really _want_ to, either. She also figured since Caius was talking to her, she should do the same, so she took a deep breath, causing him to look back at her, but she stubbornly kept her eyes on the door.

“Wanna know why I had a breakdown when I saw you guys for the first time?” He didn’t say anything, but Blake knew she had his attention. “I couldn’t believe you guys were real. Didn’t want to believe it, either. I’ve been dreaming of the three of you for as long as I can remember. Literally. My earliest memory is a dream of you. When I learned about vampires and supernatural gifts, there were several times where I thought you guys might actually be real, but I refused to let that thought go far. I refused to believe I had some kind of gift. But that’s not all.

“I didn’t want the dreams to be real because they were the only thing in my life that was a constant. They made me feel safe, and loved, even if I could never interact with them before. They make me feel like being with you guys feel like, just less dangerous. Safe, comforted, surrounded by so much good energy. Sure, I got irritated at not being able to understand my own damn dreams, of course I know now that you guys actually speak many languages, but still.

“I knew that if you guys were real, that everything would change. My dreams, you three, who had become such a pivotal part of my life, I couldn’t live without them. I had always latched onto them when things got rough. I knew they were something I could rely on. But I thought if you were real, everything would change. Which it did, so I wasn’t wrong.”

“Blake-”

“Wait, I’m not done.” When he didn’t say anything else, she nodded. “Okay, so, everything changed. The first time you guys actually talked _to_ me, I about fell off of the couch. I was used to the three of you not seeing me, going on about your stuff. It still steals my breath when it happens, actually. I’m not sure if that’ll ever stop. That’s over twenty years of getting used to someone looking right through you.

“I know things are different now. Because I _can_ talk to you guys. My dreams may not be mine. They’re not figments of my imagination that caused me to feel safe. They’re _your_ lives. Nothing of them are mine. But-” Blake turned her head to stare into Caius’ eyes. “I don’t have any intention of letting you guys get away from me.” Slowly, she could practically see the words click into place in his head before she was suddenly crushed against his cold chest, one of his arms wrapped around her waist, the other holding her head gently against his chest.

She giggled, wrapping her arms around him as he began purring. She didn’t have anything else to say to him at the moment. She said what she needed, now there only needed to be more time for her thoughts to fully wrap around the idea of an eternal soulmate.

A couple hours later, Blake and Caius were walking into his studio. She didn’t want to go back to her room or see the other two yet, so he offered for them to paint together

Blake froze upon walking into the studio. Framed on the wall, where a landscape _used_ to hang, was the drawing of the three kings she had left on his desk. He guided her into the room, closing the door behind her. She stared at him with wide eyes which he smirked at.

“Yes?” She gestured vaguely in the direction to the frame. He looked and frowned. “Should I not have hung it up? I can take it down if you wish.”

“No, no.” He raised a brow. “It’s fine. But, why?”

“Blake, you gave me a gift. And it didn’t look half bad.” He smirked widely, moving around her and into the side room. She was getting used to his not-so-complimenty compliments. He emerged while she was still standing there with wide eyes. She watched as he set up another easel so that they would be facing each other. He pulled up a stool to the one on the right and gestured for her to sit.

When she did, he disappeared back into the room, and then there was a canvas on the easel and she jerked.

“Still getting used to that,” She muttered under her breath. At the smirk he was wearing when he brought paint and brushes over to her, she knew he had heard her, and she stuck her tongue out. His eyes widened for a second, before he shook his head, moving back to his own easel. She was only self-conscious about painting in front of him for a few moments before he raised his brows at her as he started on his own. That was most definitely a challenging glance.

They painted together for hours, occasionally throwing a glance and a few words at each other. She was adding more paint to her palette when a thought struck her and she looked up. Caius instantly met her gaze.

“You got rid of the family portrait, because…Aro’s wife left?” He put down his own paintbrush, leaning on the top of his easel with crossed arms. He nodded once.

“yes, and my own.” She felt a fresh pang shoot through her chest.

“Your wife?”

“Athenodora.” Oh. _Oh._

“The woman who-” She stopped, wondering why he didn’t look the least bit fazed. If something happened to her, would it be the same?

“Yes, she attacked you. I would have turned her to ash if Marcus hadn’t come to tell that you didn’t want her executed.”

“But she was your wife.” He raised a brow, a small shrug in his shoulders.

“She was. There was no love there. Perhaps there was at one point, but not for a long time. She was simply someone to confide in and to be a companion for the many years to come. Like Aro and Sulpicia, we had our own agreement. When one of us found our mate, the other would let it happen.”

“But she tried to kill me,” Blake reminded. His eyes darkened more if that was even possible.

“She did. She wasn’t aware of what you were to us. I still have not a clue on how she knew of you so quickly, Aro has refused to tell. But he did assure us that nothing else would come to harm you. Athenodora and I had…unique relationship. I won’t tell you more until you ask if you ever want to know. Blake, you’re not interfering with any existing relationship. We’ve spent our entire immortal lives waiting for you.”

She turned back to her paint and hesitantly picked up a brush before going back to her painting. His words rushed around in her head. She didn’t even realize she was shaking until his hands gently clasped hers.

“are you alright?” She furrowed her brows at him.

“How are you so calm about saying stuff like that? With the fact that something undecided tied you to me?”

“I have been told that the idea can be unsettling for humans. But to our kind, it truly is something special, and it is something all immortals strive to find.”

“What about the fact that I’m also bound to your brothers?”

“While we aren’t blood, they are the greatest companions I could have asked for. I cannot promise that jealousy will not be present, but I can tell you that it won’t be in the way that you think. It would simply be because one of us would want to be with you, but otherwise couldn’t. There will not be any hostile jealousy in regards to each other.”

“…can I ask you something.”

“anything.”

“You won’t judge me for this one?” he frowned but nodded, keeping her hands firmly between his own as he looked down to her eyes. “I feel insanely jealous at the thought of you and Aro with your wives. Is that a mate bond thing?” his eyebrows shot up.

“How jealous?” he smirked and she rolled her eyes at him, a small smile forming on her face.

“Let’s test it then. What do you feel if I were to talk about me with someone in high school?” A violent and sudden growl reverberated through his chest as he scowled. “guess that answers that, then,” she laughed. He shook his head, but his growl subsided.

A moment of silence, then, “Was there someone?”

“Not at all. People didn’t really like me.” She shrugged, tugging her hands, but he held them firmly. He went to say something but then huffed, appearing at the door, and yanking it open. Blake peered, but couldn’t see anything. She knew who was outside though.

Blake had come to be able to distinguish the feel of Aro’s presence. She jumped when Caius slammed the door shut. She felt the comforting feeling disperse almost immediately. Caius came forward and held an envelope out to her.

“From Aro. Would you like it or shall I burn it?” she chuckled but held out her hand. He gave it to her and moved back to his spot. She pulled open the envelop and pulled out the paper. She could still feel something in it but figured she should read it first.

_Dearest Blake,_

_I realize that I have made a mistake. We should have told you. I thought, given what I could see from your thoughts, that it would be best if we gained your favor first before telling you the truth. I see now that I was wrong._

_From what I’ve seen through Caius, you had come to such a terrible conclusion, and I am truly sorry for being the reason that happened. I know there will be much time and me proving to you that you can trust me. Please know that I was doing what I thought was best for you._

_I shall take my brothers’ advice more seriously in the future when it comes to you. I intend to keep this short, otherwise, I will be giving you a full novel of my apologies, and I sincerely doubt you would want that._

_I enlisted Caius’ help in your gift. By his help, I mean he would yell at me any time I did something wrong. In the end, I think it turned out fine. If you like it, give him your thanks. It would not have been possible without him. I don’t sculpt often._

_With my deepest apologies,_

_Your mutant bat._

She couldn’t stop the surprised laugh that erupted from her. She had offhandedly referred to him and the rest of the Volturi as that in her thoughts the night before she came to Italy for the first time. That seemed like a lifetime ago. She remembered being so scared that that specific thought causing her to get her killed if nothing else did.

Apparently, Aro found it funny.

She reached into the envelope and pulled out a small chain. On it was a charm, and her laughing continued as she saw the charm was of a bat with sharp fangs. It was metal, and all of it was black besides the two eyes which were dark red stones. She looked at it and could tell it had been carved.

She never thought she’d see such detail in such a small thing, but here she was. Vampires were amazing.

She stood and walked to Caius. He raised his brows, meeting her before she could step next to his easel. She held up the bracelet. “Put it on for me?” He gently did so. She decided she really liked feeling his light touch on her skin. “Thank you. Both for putting it on and instructing Aro.”

“He told you he had my help?” She nodded and he nodded once, muttering under his breath. She turned and headed back to the easel, continuing her painting. She could handle this.

This wouldn’t be any different than how she had been acting with him. It would be okay.

She wasn’t going to let them out of her grasp. Because she really wanted them. She wanted them to be hers.

And that was starting not to seem so scary.


	27. Chapter 27

Blake spent three days with Caius. Three days of gentle looks from her and beyond intense gazes from him. Several times, while she was eating in the kitchen, she could feel either Marcus or Aro come by the kitchen, but they never invited themselves in.

She did invite Marcus in once, and Caius excused himself to go take care of his business. For the entirety of that meal, she never once said a word to Marcus but did offer him a gentle smile, and nearly fell over when he returned it.

She knew he wanted to talk to her, but really, she wasn’t sure if she could yet. So, when she left, she rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment before following Caius.

That had been a day ago, and now, in her room alone for the first time since before, she knew of the whole mate thing. She was taking a much-needed shower. She didn’t exactly stink, but she _felt_ dirty. Her fingers danced over the scars on her side and she sighed, pressing her forehead against the wall of the shower. She hoped the water was enough to drown out the sounds of her quiet sobs.

She pulled herself out of the shower, wrapping a robe around her body and a towel in her. Upon opening the door, she froze. A woman was standing in the middle of the room. She recognized the small frame of her as she sent a small smile towards Blake.

“Renata, right?” She tightened her grip on her robe.

“Correct. I have been assigned as your personal guard.”

“Uh-huh…Can my _personal guard_ go outside?” She hesitated but then nodded, bowing deep at the waist before disappearing out of the door. Blake furrowed her brows as she limped to her closet. She only thought about it for a second before going to the racks of clothes that had been supplied for her.

She pulled on a nice long sleeve blouse and a pair of loose-fitting dress pants. It was not what she would usually wear, but the fabric was so soft she couldn’t really complain.

She came out of the closet when she felt the familiar and comforting presence of Marcus approaching her room. She opened the door and met his eyes from between Demetri’s and Afton’s shoulders. The two guards moved aside as Marcus got closer. He held out an arm.

“Anatoly would like to speak with you.” She held up a finger and went back into the room to slip on some shoes and then came back. She accepted his arm and they began walking. The silence was not a pleasant one, as thoughts started filtering through her head. She slowed to a stop and he looked at her alarmed. “Shall I carry you?”

“No. Well, actually yes, but I want to talk to you.” He gazed at her for a moment before he nodded, turning his head back to the way they came. She knew when the vampires that were following left, the danger decreasing significantly. Marcus reached down and picked her up into his arms, gently cradling her to his chest as he began walking.

“You can always talk to me.”

“Have you spoken with Caius?” She asked, looking at her hands.

“We spoke briefly. He hasn’t discussed what has transpired between the two of you, and it is likely he won’t unless you give him permission.”

“…I told him I won’t let you guys get away from me.” At her words, his arms on her tightened. “But, I’m not going to pretend like I’m one hundred percent on board with this. I never thought about being with multiple people at once. Kinda goes against everything I’ve been raised on. But, I don’t want to lose you guys, so I’ll figure it out, I guess.”

“I greatly appreciate you not letting us go. It fills my heart with a joy I could not express to you. I understand why this may be unusual for you. We will be here to help you adjust.”

“Is it not weird for you?”

“Having multiple partners is not uncommon for vampires. Eternity is a long time. If you were one of us, I am sure you would not have as many quarrels with the idea of polyamory.” She nodded her head, and then relaxed in his arms, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“When Aro was telling me about mates, he said in groupings, that sometimes one person may be bonded to some, and not others, and other times everyone is bonded to each other…” She trailed off, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Thankfully, Marcus didn’t comment on it, nor did he seem put off by her comment.

“You are bound to each of us through a mating bond. Aro, Caius, and I are bound but not as mates. We are bound as soul-brothers, like you and young Jasper. Excellent question.” She smiled. “Anything else?”

“Are you okay?” His steps halted. “All of the images I’ve ever seen of you before meeting you, you looked miserable. And again, the other night when I was in Aro’s room.”

“I was…unsettled at seeing you so distraught at our hands. It is not something I wish to repeat. As for your visions, I do believe that tale is better fit for another time.” She nodded once. “Unless you have more questions, you were supposed to be in the infirmary about two minutes ago.” She laughed and he gave a quiet chuckle.

“I’m good. Let’s not anger the good doctor.” She tucked her head down and he began running. She took a deep breath, inhaling his unique scent as the wind whipped at her hair. In no time, she was back on her now usual bed in the infirmary, Marcus taking two steps back.

Anatoly smiled brightly at her, wearing another bright white doctor’s coat that contrasted the dark outfit he was wearing. His long purple-black hair was once again tied into a high ponytail. He came forward, looking between her and Marcus.

“Hello, Blake. I have some paperwork you need to read and sign before I can go through with your operation.” She had practically forgotten that he said he could help with her leg with everything that had been going on. “For the most part, it’s just your consent to treat you. And if you are allergic to anything. I need to make sure I have everything.” He handed her a clipboard and a pen, and she smiled at him and started filling out the forms.

She knew he had most of the information, if not all of it from her medical file and he could probably learn anything he was missing from asking Aro, but it felt nice that he hadn’t. She finished quickly and handed it back to him. He took it with a brilliant smile.

“Great! Now, as for the surgery, I am sure you must be wondering if it would be safe to do so in a building full of vampires, and the answer is yes. The members of the coven have excellent control. As an extra precaution, though, no one will be in this wing beside myself and a nurse, and, obviously, you. The masters probably wish to be here as well, but if you don’t want them there, then I’ll throw them out.” She snickered and his smile widened. She snuck a glance at Marcus who didn’t look particularly amused at Anatoly’s words, and her laughter intensified.

“When?”

“I think the sooner will be better. You’ve not been to a PT in months, and it’ll be better to get it done sooner. You will not be getting away with slacking off of therapy in my care, however.”

“I didn’t slack, I just couldn’t travel through the towns,” she weakly defended.

“Regardless, once you’ve healed enough after surgery, you’ll be having therapy multiple times a week.” She perked up, feeling the comforting aura intensify. After spending so much time alone with Caius, she could easily pick him out of the three kings’ energies. His was violent, not bad, but like a hurricane.

Yeah, that’s exactly what it felt like. It felt like she was standing in the eye of a hurricane. She was safe, but anything around her was in danger. That was a great way to describe what she felt with Caius.

“I still hold the opinion it’d be best to just turn her,” Caius said as he walked in the room. Immediately, her smile fell.

“I’ll…leave you three to talk,” Anatoly said and disappeared out of the door.

“brother…” Marcus’ voice had a warning told and Blake turned her head to look at him. Caius rolled his eyes as he sauntered to the edge of her bed.

“I know. She doesn’t want to be one of us,” his eyes held barely concealed hurt which made her frown.

“It’s not that. It’s that I barely knew of vampires before coming here. I haven’t thought about it. I’m sure it can’t be _too_ bad.” Both his and Marcus’ eyes brightened and she chuckled. “But, this—I need to do this. I want to be able to walk.”

“The transformation would heal that.”

“I want to do it as a human, though,” she stressed. “And I want time to wrap my head around the whole immortality thing. Can I have that?” She asked, suddenly wondering if it was really up to her. His hand came up to cup her face as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Of course, you can, _mio cara._ ” She smiled at him and he gave a small one in return.

“Where’d he go?” both Caius and Marcus chuckled at her and she dramatically sighed. Marcus left the room, shortly returning with Anatoly. Caius took a step back, joining Marcus by the foot of her bed.

“Well then, now that you’ve talked. I was hoping to bring you in here in two days.”

“Two days?!”

“Only if you’re comfortable with that,” Anatoly assured her, and she stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before launching at him. His arms wrapped securely around her as she gripped him tight. She nodded quickly and he chuckled, patting her back. Those chuckles seemed high pitch, and it took her a second before she heard barely audible growling. She pulled back from Anatoly to shoot Caius an unimpressed look.

The growling stopped.

Marcus gave her a small smile. “Caius is just quick to anger.” As if he was proving Marcus’ point, Caius snarled at him. She shook her head and turned back to Anatoly as she sat back on the bed.

“Sorry about that. Got a little excited there.”

“Yes, well…So, two days from now?” she nodded, and his bright smile returned.

“Great!”

And that was that. And once she left the room, her nerves attacked her. She ended up curled next to Caius on his couch in his office all day to prevent another panic attack. She hated surgery. Being put under made her feel like she had no control and that imitated what she felt when she was bleeding out the night of her raid.

And it always messed with her mind something fierce. Every time she’d been put under, her visions wouldn’t come back for days, and a couple of times, _weeks._ She had the real men now, but they weren’t the same safety as the dreams.

Caius didn’t seem to mind her clinging to him all day, simply let her and read a book as he held her on his chest. Occasionally he would softly say something in another language. He could have been commenting on the book for all she knew, but it helped relax her regardless.

When she woke up alone the next day, she almost went into hysterics before Marcus barged into her room and swept her into his arms, whispering sweet nothings at her. She stayed with him all day in the library. She was happy to restart her Italian lessons.

Blake was thankful that Marcus wasn’t pushing talk of whatever was going on between them. She still needed time to wrap her head around everything but was glad to be spending time with him anyway.

She avoided Aro.

She wanted to be furious at him, but she was only a little mad. She kinda understood why he did it, but she was still pissed. But she missed him. He was always so sweet to her, and anytime she thought about him, she saw his face during their date as she talked about the art on the walls of the alley. She saw his absolute fascination as he watched her, and instantly remember how _cherished_ she felt at the moment. Anytime she thought about him, her chest would ache.

It was making it hard to avoid him.

When she woke the next day, it was in Marcus’ arms. She smiled up at him sleepily. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, darling _.”_ Her smile broadened at the nickname as she dropped her head back on his chest.

“Where are we?” She picked her head back up and turned it to the side. They were laying on the couch in the library. Marcus was laying on the couch, with her draped across him. She blushed and sat up moving away from him. “I’m hungry,” she muttered.

“Apologies, but Anatoly said for you not to eat anything,” Marcus said as he too sat up. Immediately, Blake’s stomach plummeted. Right…the surgery. That was today. She jumped when Marcus’ hand gently cupped her face, causing her wide eyes to meet his. “Why are you scared?”

“I hate surgery. Anesthesia messes with my brain. And since the raid, it’s always triggered memories of that night. The feeling is just too similar to dying.” She took a deep, shuttering breath, eyes clenched shut as she brought her hand up to rest of Marcus’. “It’ll block out any dreams, err…visions for at least several days. He’s a good doctor, right? I will wake up?”

“Of course, you will, darling. If something does go wrong, however, we will step in. You will awake, one way or another.” A chill went down her spine at that, but she nodded. That, surprisingly, did make her feel better.

“You guys will be there, won’t you?” She asked as she opened her eyes, blinking the tears away. Marcus nodded.

“Would you like for all three of us to be there?” She opened her mouth to say no but closed it. She did want them all there. It would calm her and make her feel better. Instead, she nodded.

“Please?” she asked “If it’s not a bother,” she quickly added. He sighed, and pulled her to him, pressing her face to his chest.

“It’s never a bother. I shall take you to the infirmary, and then go get them. Alright?” She nodded, and he scooped her up and ran with her to the infirmary. She was placed on her feet, and after he made sure she was steady, Marcus disappeared.

Anatoly came over to greet her wearing a big smile. His hair was pulled back tightly. He was dressed in dark red scrubs. Not surprising.

“How are you this morning? Okay?” she shakily nodded and he clapped his hands together, making her jump. “Great! Now, if you can just dress into this gown?” He seemingly pulled one out of nowhere and handed it to her, ushering her over to the draw curtain. She changed, and he led her to a bed in the middle of the hall.

“The operation room is just through here,” He pointed to a door that she had previously hadn’t seen before. It was hidden by a little section of the wall that jutted out. “the surgery itself shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, and you should wake up only a few after it’s over. Now, as for medications, I have already come up with a schedule for painkillers-”

“No!” He raised a brow. “No heavy-duty painkillers. It’ll be fine.” His smile fell, replaced by the same serious face she had seen on so many doctors’ faces.

“Now, Ms. Swan-”

“I don’t want to get addicted.” He took a deep breath, vibrant red eyes darkening some.

“I will take excellent care of you. You do not need to worry your head about it.” She crossed her arms, leveling him with a stern glare. “Fine. Have it your way.” He turned his head, and then gently pushed her shoulders against the propped-up bed, before he lowered it. As soon as it was flat, her heartrate picked up.

“Where are they?” she asked, her breaths coming out in pants. No sooner had she asked that she could feel their comforting presence rapidly increasing, and her fear slowly soothed. She craned her head when she knew they were in the room. Her eyes immediately met Aro’s.

He looked like he’d been in hell for the last week. His eyes were dull as dark purple rings surrounded them. His hair looked like it had been severely neglected. But he was still looking at her like she was the light of the world.

“Relax, _mio cara,”_ Caius said.

“Easy for you to say,” she grit out, and about jumped out of her skin when someone touched her arm. She snapped her head over and nearly flipped out of the bed at seeing a brunette vampire at her side.

Ice cold hands steadied her, calm flowing through her as she looked up at Caius.

“It’s alright,” he murmured, laying her back flat against the bed.

“Sorry about that, this is Cassandra, she’s my nurse,” Anatoly said as he came back over with a small tray. She glared at it. “Stop trying to combust my instruments. This is just tape to secure the iv that Cassandra is about to put in.” Blake nodded, opposite hand reaching for Caius. He clasped it immediately.

“See, you wouldn’t be having this problem if we could just turn you.” His voice was void of any seriousness, just amusement, and she laughed. She kept her eyes on Cassandra as she inserted the iv. It didn’t _look_ like she was about to snap and snack on her, but Blake was still concerned about it.

When did her life come to the point where she had to worry about whether or not her nurse was going to _eat_ her?

Blake took a deep breath and looked back up at Caius. He gazed at her intently and muttered something in the language she still couldn’t place. She furrowed her brows but he merely smirked.

“I have a strict rule about no non-doctors in the operating room, so they will be out here. The Masters have not previously had a problem with this rule so far, and I assume they don’t now.” Anatoly raised a brow and Caius cleared his throat, looking at him.

“Of course, not. You do something you aren’t supposed to, however, and nothing will be able to hide you.” Blake smirked while Anatoly merely nodded.

“I will administer some anesthesia out here before we take you back where you will receive more.” Out came the dreaded mask and she sucked in a breath, tightening her grip on Caius’ hand. Anatoly came towards them and Caius gave her hand a gentle tap before he moved back to where the other two kings were.

Blake’s breath was coming in pants now, and Anatoly rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Relax.” When the mask was pressed over her face, she winced, recoiling into the bed. Breathing in the fumes, she hurriedly turned her eyes around. She craned her head as the familiar feeling of fading out came back, making her heart pick up even more.

She made eye contact with Aro and reached out her hand. He immediately came up to her, cradling her hand in his gloved ones. She whimpered, pulling on the glove. His eyes widened, and he slowly retracted his hands, his glove coming off as she held onto it. She tossed it to the ground, holding out her hand as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” Her voice cracked, and suddenly he was on his knees, still keeping eye contact as he slowly clasped her hand in both of his, neither of them wearing gloves. His eyes stayed trained on hers, filling with venom tears that will never fall.

_Will I be okay? Tell me I will be._

“Of course, you will be, little Swan. We would never allow anything to happen to you.” His fingers danced across her wrist, chasing away the feeling of impending doom she usually felt with anesthesia. He was circling where she had been wearing the bracelet he made for her but unfortunately had to take off because surgery. He disappeared for a fraction of a second which caused her to jump, but he was right back where he was, the bracelet now back in its rightful spot.

He placed a kiss to each of her fingertips as her eyelids started to droop. “It’s alright, young one, you can let go. Nothing shall harm you. You’ll be waking up before you know it.” A single tear fell down her face, which she felt him wipe away right before her eyes closed.


	28. Chapter 28

Pain.

Utter and intense pain was all Blake felt as she woke up.

It was wrapped around her like a too-tight blanket, wrenching all of the air out of her lungs, in a breathless scream.

“Would you like pain medicine now?” She couldn’t make out the voice, or where it was coming from, but she hastily nodded. At once, she could no longer feel anything. Her eyes flew open, and she blinked them rapidly, trying to clear her vision.

She was on her side, staring at the white pillow under her head. She tried to furrow her brows but was immediately reminded she couldn’t feel _anything._ What the fuck was happening.

“Calm down, Ms. Swan, Alec’s gift has simply been used on you until the medication kicks in. Just a few more minutes before you’ll be alright.”

She tried to even her breathing once she realized that the person speaking was Anatoly. The kings trusted him, so she should as well.

Except she was really freaking out.

She saw a hand land gently on her face, and she cut her eyes up to meet Marcus’ deep onyx ones. “Calm down, darling. Everything is alright.” He took exaggerated breaths which she was able to match after a long moment. “There you go. Only a few more minutes.”

Those few minutes felt like an eternity before she felt the weirdness retract, and she could feel Marcus’ hand against her face. She sighed deeply, relaxing back onto the bed.

“What. The. Fuck?”

“You said you did not want pain medication.”

“I didn’t mean straight out of surgery,” She snapped at Anatoly, trying to turn on her side to look at him, only to immediately be stopped by Marcus’ hand.

“Try to stay on your side.” She sleepily nodded. Anatoly came into focus behind Marcus. Her foggy brain decided to speak.

“Can I braid your hair?” Anatoly’s brows raised.

“Perhaps later, if your mates would be alright with that. For now, though, just rest.” She hummed, burying her face into the pillow, hand coming up to grasp the hand on her face.

“You stayed.”

“Of course.”

“We all did.” She snapped her eyes open, finding Caius standing by the foot of her bed. She smiled reaching out to him. He smirked as he grasped her hand, gently stroking it. “I take it back, if this is how she acts on medication, then I am alright with postponing her turning.”

“Caius,” Marcus' voice was warning but Blake merely giggled, causing the both of them to look at her with a quirked brow.

“Cai-us. That’s a funny name.” Marcus chuckled as Caius scowled. Blake smiled up at him. “What’s Alec?”

“one of the guards. Anatoly wanted to show you what no medication would feel like, but we would not allow you to suffer more than necessary.” Blake craned her neck to see Aro standing rather awkwardly at the foot of the bed. “I understand your displeasure of the medication and your fear of addiction, but that is not a fear you should have here. Just allow us to take care of you?” His eyes were so serious that Blake couldn’t help but smile at him, before turning back to close her eyes against the pillow.

“I can’t say no to you.” And she drifted back asleep.

The next time she woke up, her leg was only a dull throb, but her head was significantly clearer. She felt the cool caress over her fingers and slowly blinked her eyes open. Caius was sitting on a chair right next to her bed, hand gently clasped in both of his.

“mornin’.” The corners of his lips quirked as he looked up to meet her eyes. He had purple circles under his eyes, which she reached for and immediately drew her hand back. He furrowed his brow and pulled the chair closer to her bed. He brought her hand up closer to his face and nodded.

She slowly reached out, fingertips barely touching the circle around his eyes. His eyelids fluttered closed as she gently ran her fingers across the skin. “You’re thirsty?”

“It’s not pressing,” he said immediately, eyes opening back up.

“Is it because of me?”

“I was merely anxious while you were in surgery. I will be fine. How are you feeling tonight?” She frowned.

“Tonight?” He chuckled and nodded. “I’m…fine. My head feels a little cloudy but that’s expected.”

“Are you in pain, darling?” She jumped at the unexpected voice and immediately winced. She turned her head to glare at Marcus.

“When’d you get there?”

“We haven’t left you,” he said immediately, and she saw Aro standing off to the side behind him. She pouted as she turned back to Caius.

“I hate medication,” she grumbled. At Caius’ quizzical look, she huffed. “I can feel when you guys are near. That ‘sense of danger’ shit, but it’s unique for you three. Comforting, safe. Can’t fucking feel a thing right now.” She closed her eyes as she spoke, not wanting to see his face when she admitted that. It was kinda freaking her out. She was used to being able to know where they were in relation to her, and now that all three were in there and she couldn’t tell—it made her skin crawl.

“ _Mio cara,_ that is quite the gift you have there.” She cracked an eye open to look at Caius as he gazed at her gently, face relaxed as he drew random patterns on her hand. “You will not be on medication forever.”

“Still.”

“You chose this.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he reached for it. She shrieked, pursing her lips. He chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

“You seem to like me more.” He raised his brows. “You seemed to hate me when I first got here.”

“I could never hate you, _mio cara._ I had…reservations about you, that is true. The first and foremost being that you’re human. You’re fragile. _Breakable.”_

“A liability, you mean.” He scowled. “It’s okay. I get it. Guess we should probably talk about my very much mortal self, hmm?”

“Not know, you need your rest,” Marcus said, and she cut her eyes toward him before she nodded.

“So…everything went smoothly?”

“Yes, darling.” She took her arm from Caius smiling at his playful pout as she reached toward Marcus. He grasped it and she pulled him closer. Of course, he went willingly because there was no way she could actually pull him. She smiled and nodded when he was in her line of sight. She took her hand back and returned it to Caius. He smirked and gently began running his fingers over her hand.

“Aro, you going to keep hiding in the shadows?” he very slowly joined Marcus’ side. She cautiously glanced into his eyes.

“I am very sorry that I made you feel as you-”

“No, no, no, no, no. None of that right now.” He nodded once. “Thanks for the bracelet.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

The room was silent once more and she awkwardly glanced between the three of them. “Can I ask a question.” Immediately, the three of them agreed and she chuckled softly. “Why do you guys continue to drink…people when you could just as easily drink animals?” Caius growled lowly as he rolled his eyes.

“’Easily’ is a stretch. Some of us are incapable of even attempting to drink from animals,” Marcus said softly. “Though, this is a question best answered by Aro.” She turned her gaze to him.

“I have a thirst for knowledge, you know this. I, of course, did want to see if there was another way. Even before Carlisle and I met, I had attempted his diet.” At this, her eyebrows shot up and he chuckled lightly. “After many years, and may others testing it as well, we came to the conclusion that animal blood does not sustain us near as well or for as long as human blood. It leaves us weaker, and our control was lacking when on the diet. Which, of course, shocked me upon learning that the animal diet is all Carlisle has ever known and still has yet to make a slip. His control truly is fascinating.”

“So…animal blood makes you weaker?” All three of them nodded. “And your control is worse?”

“Indeed. It doesn’t satisfy the thirst and you’ll constantly be wanting to sate it. It is quite impossible to do so on the so-called ‘ _vegetarian’_ diet,” Caius said, his hand firmly holding hers instead of caressing since she asked the original question.

“Then why do they do it? They all masochists?” Caius bit out a chuckle while the other two smirked.

“Out of the Olympic coven, I have only ever looked into Carlisle’s mind up until recently. His need to help the humans and preserve their humanity is too high. As for Edward,” Caius’ growl was ignored by Aro, “he is still in touch with his own humanity. He doesn’t like the nature of what he is. He’s disgusted by the thought of accepting his nature. As for young Alice, her sight is what she relies heavily on. And for so long she saw the Olympic coven and their diet and agreed with Carlisle’s thinking.”

“And Jasper?” She asked and Aro frowned slightly.

“I haven’t seen in his mind.”

“But…he was here?” She didn’t understand.

“yes, he was. I was more concerned with you then greeting him properly. I’m afraid that I’ll have to wait until our next meeting to answer that. I can make an educated analysis if you’d like.” She agreed. “Jasper is an empath. And his early years as an immortal were not pleasant. He can feel everything those he’s feeding on feel. It’s unsurprising that he’d want to avoid that.” Blake nodded thoughtfully.

Jasper had such a hard time with their diet, he had told her that. Was this why he had such a hard time? Because it didn’t help them as it should? The way they made it sound like there was nutritional deficiencies in feeding from animals.

“try not to dwell on this too much. You’re only human yourself at the moment,” Marcus said, drawing Blake’s attention back to him. “One day, when you’re one of us, I’m sure you’ll be able to engage in this topic much more than now.” She nodded.

“I was just curious.” And it answered the question she had a while ago. Turns out, animals didn’t really seem like an alternative, more of a substitute. One that didn’t really do the job.

“Curiosity is a good trait to have, Blake. We will never fault you for it,” Aro said. She sent him a small smile.

“You sure about that?” he nodded; a bit confused. She smirked. “That a challenge?” He quirked a brow, a smirk of his own forming on his face.

“if it was?”

“Let’s talk about your _wife,_ then.” Immediately his smirk fell replaced by the vampire equivalent to ‘deer caught in headlights’. Caius let out a chuckle and she raised a brow at him. “Hey, you can’t laugh. Yours tried to kill me.” He growled at that but gave her a small smile.

“I remember.” He glared at the floor, and she rolled her eyes, squeezing his hands. “It has been ages since I have witnessed Aro speechless. You seem quite capable of doing so.” She laughed and turned her eyes back to Aro.

“You won that challenge.” She was honestly very relieved at that. She didn’t want to talk about their _wives._ It made her want to break something else. “though I am curious as to why that painting you did the other day was in fact, not one of your visions if I couldn’t see it.” She froze and he smiled. “Unless you were lying to Caius when you told him that.”

“I did not lie.” He immediately nodded. “I had never seen that specific image before. Doesn’t mean I didn’t see something _similar.”_ The three of them looked at her with interest and she shook her head, leaning back against the pillow. “That’s all you’re getting.”

“Let her rest.” Blake once again jumped at the new voice. She turned her head to see Anatoly coming in from the side room. He strolled up to her IV and injected a syringe into it. “You need sleep, Ms. Swan. I am sure you’re tired.” She nodded her head. “Sleep, they will be here when you wake up.” It didn’t take long for her to fall back asleep.

Meanwhile, Aro was sure he would be having a heart attack if his heart still beat. When Blake allowed him into her thoughts, he heard her reasoning, _felt_ her _hurt and betrayal._ He felt absolutely devasted at knowing it was his fault that she had reacted that way.

It was his decision to refrain from telling her about their bond. It was his past behavior of knowledge that even led to her concluding that they had faked her being their mate. He never wanted her to go through anything like that again.

His little mate was devasted because of him. And she was angry with him. Not as much as she wanted to be, but she was. He wouldn’t allow her to slip away from him. He would make it up to her. He would restore her trust in him.

He loved her.

He would burn down the world for her.

Though, she’d probably have objections to that particular course of action, so no world-wide arson for him.

He never meant to hurt her. He had only thought to help her adjust to her new life. He thought he knew enough about her from her thoughts to know how she would react to being told about mates.

Apparently, her visions of him and his brothers meant more to her than he thought if they effected how she’d view the situation.

He would change it if he could, but ultimately, no one could change the past. Both he and his mate could view it, but neither could ever change it. So was the curse of viewing the past.

That was another thing he felt terrible about. He had made her think her gift was the only reason she was around. He was fascinated by it, of course, he was, it was such a compliment to his own, but he never meant to make her think it was the reason he wanted her.

And yet…

He needed to work on his ‘people skills’.

As Aro watched as Caius held their sleeping mate’s hand, he knew he had made a mistake. He went from being the one she trusted the most to being the only one she didn’t trust. He had never made a move to hurt her physically, but he had hurt her drastically regardless. If he hadn’t been assured from Marcus that the bond between himself and Blake hadn’t shattered, he would be in the closest things to hysterics that an immortal could be in.

Marcus had assured him several days ago that it was reparable. That was what he needed. And then when he showed up saying Blake wanted him there while she went into surgery, he had run as fast as he possibly could.

Because she still wanted him.

And he would fight for her and the only thing that would stop him from doing so would be the day that he became ash.

Marcus was…content for the first time in a very long time. It was not part of Corin’s gift. No, this contentment was entirely due to his mate that was sleeping in front of him. For such a long time, he had doubted he even had a mate; that he was worthy of one after he had failed Didyme.

He was so close to being happy. He was standing next to Caius, watching as the intense golden bond between Blake and Caius buzzed with the excitement of the physical contact and trust that Blake put in him to be so close to her while she slept. The prey trusting the predator while she was most vulnerable.

The bond between her and Aro was straining towards each other to strengthen once again, but every time her end came close, it would duck out of the way. She was scared of getting hurt again.

Marcus sighed, getting the attention of his two brothers.

“What is it?” Caius asked, still keeping the majority of his attention on Blake.

“I am becoming happy.” The room went silent as he watched the bond between himself and Blake dance at his words. Whether or not she was conscious, she had heard his statement.

“How is your bond?” Caius finally asked after several moments.

“Beautiful. Not as strong as yours.” With that, Caius snapped his head towards him. Marcus gave a very small smile.

“Impossible. I attacked her. You have done nothing of the sort.” Marcus put his hand on Caius’ tense shoulder.

“That never injured your bond with her. She trusts you, Caius.”

“You have been monopolizing her, brother.” Both Caius and Marcus shot Aro a glare which had him rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to Blake.

“She is not an object.”

“Of course, not. I never implied she was,” Aro growled, and Marcus took a step to stand in front of Caius, standing to his full height, glaring down his nose at Aro. Aro flinched and took a step back.

“Stop your fighting, both of you. I will not ask again.” Aro nodded and Marcus regained his spot beside and slightly behind Caius. They returned to silence as they watched Blake’s eyes flicker in her sleep, her hand tightening on Caius’.

“I won’t let anything happen to her.” Neither of them responded to Caius’ words. It wasn’t needed. It was a mutual oath. Anyone who dared to come at Blake would face the wrath of all three of them, and that was something that only two immortals in the world had _ever_ seen and lived. No one would survive trying to harm the most precious person in the world.

Marcus would sooner eradicate all life forms than let something lay a single finger on Blake. He would _not_ fail her.


	29. Chapter 29

Blake woke up with a groan, adjusting her back against the bed, and wiggling her numb fingers, only to realize someone was holding them. She looked up to see Caius smiling at her softly.

“Not that I don’t like holding your hand, but I need to stretch.” He immediately released her and she stretched her arm up, grunting when her shoulder and back popped. She sighed and settled back down. She opened her eyes and laughed at the slight look of horror on his face.

“What was that? Are you hurt?”

“Humans pop, Caius.”

“…That sounds unpleasant.” She continued laughing and winced at the pain that shot up from the bottom of her leg up to her midback. A strangled gasp left her lips as she craned her back. Two pairs of cold hands landed on her, immediately straightening her out.

“Try to keep yourself straight.” It was Anatoly. She opened her eyes as she nodded. Caius was still sitting in the chair, glaring over her shoulder, probably at said doctor. “We’ll wait a few days before getting you up onto your feet. As your recovery progresses, we’ll discuss your therapy.” She nodded and shifted in the bed.

She turned her head and saw Marcus and Aro were sitting close to Caius. Anatoly and Cassandra disappeared out of the room.

After two days, and rather humiliating experiences where Caius carried her to the bathroom, she was released from the infirmary. She wasn’t allowed to be walking around yet, so, she was confined to bed.

She was in Aro’s.

Apparently, when she let Aro read her thoughts, he gathered that she felt safer when she was closer to them, so she’d been put in his room. She had a life-size ice pack, also known as Caius, whom she was currently resting against, his hand laying gently against her incision on her hip through the bandages and dress.

She hated dresses, but it was easier to get to the area. Anatoly had three different sites of operation. One on her knee, one on her hip, and one on her lower back, close to her spine. She hadn’t actually tried walking more than to the sink from the toilet, but so far, it seemed to have worked at least a little bit.

She sighed, tilting her head back as Caius gently massaged her leg around the incision. He chuckled, his nose rubbing her neck as he nuzzled her. She chuckled and leaned back. He raised a brow, scowling at her.

“Sorry, but I’m hungry.”

“Your food is not here yet.”

“But I want to sit up.” Caius dramatically rolled his eyes but sat up in a blur and gently helped her to do so. She winced and adjusted her weight. “And I need to call Charlie soon.” It was midafternoon. The medication she was on had fucked up her sleeping schedule. She pretty much _always_ slept.

She didn’t entirely mind, because she was almost constantly pressed against Caius. And while her supernatural sixth sense wasn’t able to show her the comfort she was used to, she was still comforted in his presence. And her stomach was full of butterflies anytime they touched. And since he was better than a bag full of ice, she had the perfect excuse to be constantly touching him.

Aro and Marcus came and went. They had to carry out their responsibilities as leaders, which they were now doing without Caius. She had felt bad about it for all of a second before Caius had driven away any guilt she felt about it. And then purred against her neck for hours, even after she fell asleep.

“When you eat you have more medication to take.” She knew this but nodded anyway. The door opened and in walked both Aro and Marcus. Aro was holding a tray of food for her. She smiled at them.

“I thought you two had work?” She tried not to think about what that work entailed.

“We worked quickly,” Aro winked and she about fell over.

That was hot as hell.

But she was still mad so she just held out her hands for the tray of food. It ended up on the bed next to her instead of her lap, which was probably better. She noted that he had his gloves on. She knew he definitely didn’t wear them for work, and smiled.

He had been wearing them around her constantly since she woke. It was nice, because even though she let him into her thoughts before surgery, but that didn’t give him a free pass. Which she was glad about.

She slowly ate her food, careful of it still being hot, and not wanting to ask one of them to hold the bowl to help it cool down, because that seemed way too excessive. Once done, she picked up her phone.

**_‘Dad, call me when you get the chance. -B’_ **

She turned to look at Caius as she placed the phone on the nightstand. “Are you staying here?” When he nodded, she smiled. “If I’m asleep when dad calls me, wake me up, please?” He nodded. She shifted against the pillows as she looked up as Marcus held out a hand with her medication. “You guys do know I am capable of taking care of myself, right?”

“Yes, but we enjoy taking care of you, darling.” She rolled her eyes playfully but took the pills. It didn’t take her long for her to be out cold again.

She groaned when something tickled her neck, sleepily blinking her eyes.

“Wake up, _mio cara,_ your father is on the telephone,” Caius whispered against her neck. She leaned back and yawned, holding out her hand. He placed the phone in her hand and then stood from the bed in one graceful movement.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?”

“Alright. Pretty sore, and I’ve been doing nothing but sleeping but I’ve been doing fine,” Blake said and immediately yawned again which had her dad chuckling and Caius’ lips turned into a smirk which she promptly stuck her tongue out at.

“Rest is good. You need it. Listen, I got to go to work, but I’m sure Bella wants to talk to you. I’ll tell her to give you a call, yeah?” Blake agreed and then they hung up. She jumped when Caius suddenly appeared before her.

“I’m still getting used to your freakish speed and you’re going to give me a heart attack.” Caius rolled his eyes.

“Not bloody likely. Get up. I am supposed to be taking you to Anatoly to check your stitches.” Blake huffed but moved from under the sheets only to be immediately picked up in his cold arms, one hand very gently laying against the incision on her leg. She sighed leaning her head against his shoulder.

“That feels nice.” He didn’t respond and she wished she could still just _know_ things about him. It made things so much easier at detecting his mood. But while she was still on high doses of different medications, there would be none of that.

A very nice and long walk later, Caius was setting her down on the bed in the infirmary and Anatoly appeared and drew the curtain around the bed. Blake and him went through routine questions: ‘how are you feeling, any pain, etc.’ as he examined her incisions and rebandaged them.

“Now, we need to make a schedule for your physical therapy,” he began as he moved the curtain back. Blake was very happy that it didn’t have the annoying squealing noise most hospital curtains did. She figured when pretty much the entirety of the castle’s occupancy had advanced hearing, something like squealing would be much more of a nuisance to them to her own human ears.

“Right,” she groaned, and Caius chuckled as he came forward and gently clasped her hand.

“No complaining. You could have just as easily taken the easy way out. Yet here we are,” Anatoly said. She scowled at him and his smirk dropped at the growl that left Caius. “Kidding, kidding. Apologies, Master.” He bowed his head low, and Caius’ growl continued for a moment before abruptly stopping. Blake looked between the two with a raised brow and Caius merely caught her eye and gave her a smirk. she shook her head and looked back to Anatoly, whose head was still bowed.

“So…therapy?”

“Right!” his head popped back up as he took a seat on a stool and showed her a chart. “Of course, it can be adjusted depending on how well or not you do but this is what I have so far. Biweekly appointments here with me and Demetri. Don’t look at me like that, he has training, and has been approved by all three of the Masters.” She turned to Caius who gave a single nod. She hummed and turned back to Anatoly. “We have compiled a list of activities for you which progressively get more advanced. The most important part of this process is if it is _ever_ too much you let us know immediately. I know you are a prideful person, my limited experience with you has proven that, but it is imperative that you do so. Understand?” She slowly nodded and he smiled wide. “Good! We don’t want to undo all my hard work, now would we?” She snorted and shook her head.

“Alright, that’s all I have for you today. I’ll see you in you two days.” He gave her the chart for her to look over and then allowed Caius to take her back to the room. She huffed dramatically when placed back in the bed.

“What?” Caius raised his brows.

“I’m bored of doing nothing but lying in bed.”

“You’re not allowed to walk yet.” She groaned and crossed her arms. “None of that. Shall I go and retrieve Aro’s laptop? I am sure you can find something to entertain yourself.” Blake sent him a playful glare but nodded. He disappeared and returned in a few seconds and deposited the computer next to her on the bed before curling against her back, cool hands on her wounds making her smile and leaning back against his chest as she opened the computer. She searched what was already on the computer before she ended up playing a random movie.

She stopped paying attention almost immediately.

“I’m bored,” she huffed as she leaned her head back, it connecting with his shoulder. He chuckled and pressed a light kiss against her neck which had a shiver running through her.

“Then watch your movie, _mio cara_.”

“I don’t wanna…”

“…I do not understand you.”

“I don’t get some of the things you do, but you don’t hear me complaining.”

“Is this the medication or just how you normally behave?” Caius asked and she turned her head to raise a brow at him.

“Why? This too much for you to handle fang boy?”

“Fang _boy_?” he spluttered.

“I do think that is what I said.”

“Try not to antagonize him too much, darling.” She jerked and turned to look at Marcus as he walked into the room. She gave him an innocent smile.

“Me? Never.” Caius grumbled and leaned his forehead back against her neck. 

“You are becoming more comfortable with the idea of you being with us, then?” Marcus asked and Blake felt the glare Caius gave him over her shoulder.

“Well, it’s still strange to me. I am still not sure how to wrap my head around immortal forever lovers, but cuddling is nice. Especially when I can use it as an excuse for a life-size icepack.”

“Is that all I am to you?” Caius chuckled into her ear when she squeaked when he suddenly appeared on top of her. “An _icepack?”_

“You _are_ antagonizing him,” Marcus quietly commented, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Well, I mean, it keeps me out of pain which is nice.” His face turned a little softer at that but was still very much the playful scowl. “I also like your purrs. It’s nice.”

“What’s happening here?” Blake cut her eyes past Caius’ arm and saw Aro standing in the doorway eyes wide. Caius rolled his eyes and then smirked at her.

_‘Watch,’_ he mouthed at her. She narrowed her eyes but nodded. She really wanted to see where this went.

“Aro, I was just about to show Blake the…perks of being my mate. You were not invited.” Blake felt her face heat up and glared at the wicked smirk that formed on Caius’ face.

“Caius,” Aro’s growl echoed throughout the room and Blake cut her eyes to Marcus who she could clearly see around Caius’ large frame over her.

“Relax, brother. Caius is only goading you. Blake still requires recovery before either of us can show her what we can do.” Blake’s mouth dropped opened and he chuckled. She shook her head, hands coming to rest on her hot face.

“I hate you both. You’re terrible.”

“But never to you. Never forget that.” With that, Caius rolled back onto his side and carefully maneuvered her onto her side so that her back was against his chest once again. His hands took place back on their now usual spot on her bandages.

Blake rested her hands on top of his, tracing idle patterns on them. She watched as Aro sulked towards the chair next to Marcus and chuckled quietly.

“Alright, maybe it was worth it.” Caius huffed and pressed a kiss to her neck.

“Of course, it was. You shall come to see it is always entertaining to irritate Aro.” She looked at Aro’s put out look and laughed.

Two days later, she was covered in sweat as she collapsed back onto the bed in the infirmary. “You were supposed to _fix it,_ not make it _worse!”_ She had been attempting her exercises with Anatoly for the past half an hour and everything did nothing but cause her more pain than she thought it was worth.

“You can hardly take one day as proof I damaged you more than you already were,” Anatoly said, a hint of irritation in his voice. Blake knew she was aggravating him, but she was damn tired of being in pain. And he wasn’t helping.

“I want to go back to bed.”

“I do believe we agreed you would not fight your therapy.”

“And I’m not!” his eyes narrowed, and she huffed turning her head straight to glare at the tall ceiling. “I’m tired and I’m in pain and I want to go to bed.”

“You still have another fifteen minutes.”

“Dammit Anatoly, I-”

“So be it. If you wish to give up, I shall fetch one of the guards to come and escort you back to your room.” She snapped her head back to him, but he was marking on a chart.

“I’m not giving up…” He raised a brow but didn’t turn to her. “come on, give me the next set.” With the accomplished smirk he sent her as he began let her know he just completely goaded her into doing so.

When Caius came to get her, she practically threw herself back into his arms. He barked something out in Italian which she promptly ignored since she couldn’t understand it anyway, and guided Caius’s hand to her hip where most of the pain was coming from at the moment.

It all hurt. Just more right there.

He let his hand be guided and growled out a few more words before turning and taking her back to Aro’s room. Once back in the bed, he disappeared for a second before showing back up with her medicine which she readily accepted.

She still had fears about becoming addicted to them, but Anatoly had given her a very strict schedule which gradually decreased in strength until she could be taken off of them which had done well to ease her fears of doing so.

She had gone too far last time, she didn’t want to again.

Once she had taken them, she curled into Caius’ side.

“If he has hurt you, I shall dismember him for a century.” Caius had been very vocal earlier when he took her to the infirmary only to be told that he could not stay. Eventually, Marcus and Aro had shown up to convince him to leave her with Anatoly to work. He wanted to watch in case he hurt her and had been more than a little displeased at being told no.

It made her feel nice that he wanted to protect her so much. But it was also frightening because she could take care of herself and had never thought she’d need someone to protect her. But this world was full of things she had no chance again. The fact that she had three people who cared very much about her that were fully capable of protecting her if need be was nice.

It was also very nice that it happened to be the three people she had always wished to be real.

She threw one of her arms over his chest and pulled herself closer, her leg coming over his. If possible, he became even more still than he normally was. She smiled and rolled her eyes as she adjusted her head on his chest.

“Oh, don’t put your mind in the gutter and just let me sleep.”

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, she could have sworn his voice cracked but he would always deny it “Of course, _mio cara,_ sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I've lost my dad and I've been in a really rough place, but I'm going to continue writing and while it probably won't be as often as it was, I still should be able to get new ones out.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it is taking so long, but here's a chapter. It's a little shorter than normal, but I hope you all enjoy it regardless.  
> Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes-they were very much appreciated.

Blake officially wished she could kill a vampire.

It had been two weeks since her surgery and Anatoly was pushing her to her limits. She had a pretty high pain tolerance, but he was pushing it so much that she had vividly imagined what it would look like to see him burn.

Demetri was not as bad, but the schedule they had prepared just wasn’t working for her, It caused her more pain than anything else and she just wanted to stop.

She didn’t dare tell Caius that because he would probably burn both of them alive. Caius was no longer her personal ice-pack, having been pulled back into his responsibility of being a leader of the vampire world. There had been something going on that required all three of them, so Blake was left without any of her hot vampire guys, and rarely saw them.

And she was not clingy. Nope. Definitely not that. She just…enjoyed the cuddles. Their cold skin felt good on hers.

Okay, so maybe she was a _little_ clingy, but she had barely seen them lately, so when either Marcus or Caius came to her for her dinner, she was sitting against their side while she ate.

She wasn’t touchy with Aro.

She wasn’t as mad at him anymore, but she still was wary of him a little bit. She hadn’t let him back in her thoughts yet. But, she would enjoy his company when he did come to spend time with her.

And she was still living in his room which was nice. His room was really nice and while she still couldn’t sense anything with her gift again, the room just screamed _‘Aro’_ which did seem to calm her anxiety when it flared up, which had happened twice since her surgery. And both times, Aro had come to the room to sit with her and just ground her to the present.

Currently, she was glaring at Anatoly as he tried to get her to finish up an exercise which was absolutely killing her leg.

“Take a short rest, Blake. Doctor, if I may have a word?” Demetri spoke and Blake immediately collapsed back onto the bed and gave him a grateful smile through her pained grimace.

She had just caught her breath when Anatoly appeared by her side again. “Demetri has proposed that maybe we should change our type of therapy. How do you feel about dance?”

“Dance?” She blinked at him and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Indeed. Dance can be and has been used successfully in rehabilitation. It may prove more successful on you than the traditional way.”

“Yeah, because nothing about me is traditional.”

“Precisely.” His face brightened and she scowled.

“I don’t know if I should be offended by how quickly you agreed with that.”

“Oh, of course not. Nothing is wrong with being unique. So, shall we give it a shot?” Blake didn’t see how it could get worse, so she agreed.

It got worse. It got so much worse.

Though, in hindsight, she really should have asked what _kind_ of dance. She should have expected it’d be fucking _ballroom dance._ Demetri was her instructor/partner, which did lighten her mood about it a little bit.

She was horrible at it, but it was still helping her exercise her leg and get the muscles used. Though that did nothing to stop Demetri’s snide comments about how awful she was at dancing.

If the burn in her muscles were anything to go by, she’d say it was actually working.

She tripped over Demetri’s foot again, and once again, he caught her before her knee could buckle. Good thing about them being vampires: their reflexes prevented her from injuring herself.

She huffed into his chest as he raised her back up to her feet, and keeping his hands on her to make sure she got her balance back.

“What is happening here?” Caius’ growl echoed through the room. Immediately, Blake’s full weight was back on her legs as Demetri turned to attention and she almost fell. She caught her balance and glared at the side of Demetri’s head.

“Thanks for that.” One second, she was glaring at the side of his head, the next, he was no longer in her sight. The noise came second, like a mountain had exploded. She flinched and turned her head on instinct. Caius was standing close to her, eyes black as night glaring past her at where Demetri was now sprawled on the ground. She turned to look at him and again flinched at seeing the cracks covering his face.

“…touch my mate-” Caius cut himself off with another growl. Blake turned back to him and slowly raised her hand, cursing herself that it was shaking. But it wasn’t hard to see why: Caius looked like a demon at the moment.

“Brother, calm down, you have frightened our mate,” Aro said as he appeared, her hand now grasped in his gloved one. Caius took a deep breath and growled something out in Italian. “I’m sure you misunderstood the situation, Caius. Demetri knows better than to try something like that.” He turned to her. “What was happening?”

“We were dancing?” Aro’s eyes slightly widened, his grip tightening on her hand.

“Master, we are using it as therapy for her. It is too close to know for certain, but I think it could and is going to help,” Anatoly said as he appeared. Aro released her hand only for Caius to appear and wrap an arm around her shoulder. Aro took off his gloved and grasped his hand.

Blake curled into Caius’ side, eyebrows furrowed as he was still quietly growling. She didn’t appreciate how they did that. Sometimes they overreacted to stuff and then referred to her as just ‘mate’ which set off all kinds of warning bells in her head.

“Caius, you can calm down.” Instead of doing that, his growls became louder. The next second, she was in his arms as he ran. She tucked her head into his chest. When she was put on the bed, she scurried back from him, which, thankfully, he allowed her to do. She wasn’t eager to have bruises on her at the moment.

“The _fuck_ was that?” She hissed. His black eyes narrowed at her as he snarled. “No, no, you don’t get to just growl your way out of this one. What the ever-loving fuck, Caius?”

“No one, especially not one under my command, should dare to _touch_ _my mate.”_

“Excuse me?” She snapped, sitting up and crossing her arms. “First of all, we were dancing for my therapy. Not that I have to _explain_ myself to you. I can touch whomever the fuck I want, and however the fuck I want.”

“No,” Caius growled, fingers curling into the bedsheets, ripping them to shreds. Which Blake saw, and acknowledged, but was just too damned pissed to care about it at the moment. “You are my mate and I will not tolerate such behavior to you.”

“ _You do not own me._ I am my own person, and if you cannot realize that then you can just leave me the hell alone.” He straightened up and she squared her shoulders. It was purely and positively _terrifying_ staring at him in the eye at the moment, but she refused to back down. She’d rather have a heart attack.

“Caius-” Marcus appeared in the doorway, before rattling off in Italian, making Blake glare between the two of them. They argued in loud Italian for several minutes before Caius glared at both Marcus and Blake before disappearing.

“Darling-”

“You going to yell at me about what I can do too?” When he stayed silent, she turned to look at him, and immediately deflated slightly at his soft yet stern look. “Sorry, but Caius has pissed me off.”

“I was going to tell you to take your medication.” She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. He came forward with her medication which she took from him and apologized. “I understand.”

“I snapped at you which was completely unfair. You didn’t do anything.”

“Blake, I told you I understand. Get some rest.” She grunted and apologized quietly again. Once she was under the covers, he gently smoothed her hair back. “And for the record, I do agree that you can do whatever you wish with whomever. You are certainly not our slave. Caius means nothing harsh about it, but I will be talking to him either way.”

“If that’s what he expects of me, he has another thing coming.” She popped the pills into her mouth.

“I know. Get some rest.” With that, Marcus left the room too. She waited a moment before spitting one of the two pain pills out. She went to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. She knew what she could and couldn’t handle. And she could handle this with one pain pill.

She went back to the bed. For hours, she tossed and turned, Caius’ words tumbling through her head. How dare he think that he can control her? She was her own fucking person, hadn’t freaked and tried to run away when learning about being mated to them, and he dared to think he _owned_ her? 

She also couldn’t get that terrifying way he looked at her out of her head. She had seen it plenty of times throughout the years, but it never had been directed to _her._ She was terrified of him. And that very thought almost made her cry before she decided she had enough crying and swore to herself to not.

She woke up to a strange feeling nearly suffocating her. It took her a second before she bolted up.

“Marcus.” He appeared in the dark, sitting on the edge of the bed. Immediately, she winced. Both at the pain, and the realization that he now knew that she skipped her medicine.

“You can sense me again?” When she stayed silent, he sighed and moved to sit next to her. “You did not take your medication.”

“Not true…I just spit one of them out.”

“Darling, please let us take care of you.”

“You are. I just can’t stand not being able to sense things.” She turned to look at him. “How would you feel if your gift suddenly stopped working.” He tilted his chin up but remained silent. “Yeah, it would suck, wouldn’t it? Even before I knew that what I could do is this supernatural shit, I hated being without it. It’s a part of me, Marcus. I can’t live without it. I don’t want to. It makes things easier for me.”

“I understand, Blake. However, you need not to be able to sense danger while here. We will protect you.”

“I know, but it’s more than that. I really have no idea how to explain it to you, but it’s just something I need.”

“You do not understand how much it irks me in seeing you in pain.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle. I promise.” He looked at her for a long moment before moving to wrap his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and looked down at her hands. “I am not used to letting people take care of me. It practically ruined the relationship between me and my father. I don’t want to ruin this thing between us.”

“You will not.”

“I don’t know how I can trust that. Earlier…with Caius…I was terrified of him. I couldn’t tell if he was about to try to take my head off or not. That’s what scared me the most. Because before, in the library, sure I was scared of him, but I also knew he wasn’t _actually_ going to kill me. But today-today I couldn’t tell. And I want to trust him, to trust all of you, but the fact of the matter is that you’re vampires. You eat people like me all the time for a long, long time. It’s how you survive. In my book, your cold-blooded murderers, and I joined the military to stop people like you. Sure, you guys are different. You literally kill to survive, but it’s tearing at my morals.

“How can I stay around you know what you do? I feel like I’m failing everything I’ve ever known. I feel like I’m failing myself for it. And it’s not anything against you or Aro or Caius. It’s just my mind won’t shut up sometimes. I don’t hate you, let me make that crystal clear. I really, _really,_ like you, and I’m happy you care about me.”

“Thank you for sharing how you feel.” Blake swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. She promised herself she had enough crying. Instead, she balled her hands into fists and adjusted the way she was sitting. “I can see how our very existence is challenging for you to accept. We cannot change what we are. I know you were not asking us to, but I wish to make it clear. We are what we are and have been for a very long time. Know this: we shall never hurt you. You will be the most cared for and protected person on the entire planet. If anything should ever happen to you, nothing would be protected from our wrath.”

Blake turned her head to stare straight into his searing eyes. He gently cradled her face in his ice-cold palm. She could feel the sincerity behind his words, the promise of a rage incomprehensible to her.

“And…And if I had chosen to reject you? To leave? Would I have been let go?” She immediately could tell he was upset, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“If that is what you had wanted, yes, you would have been sent back to the Olympic coven with strict instructions to either kill you or turn you, the same options as your sister. If you had not wanted to be with them, we would have asked any of a number of covens if they would accept you.”

“Wait, so, me being here…allows me to be human?”

“Not forever. Sooner or later allowing you to continue as a mortal simply will cease to be an option. We want you happy and will permit this as long as we can. If you are ever in any danger, we will not hesitate to turn you.”

“Thank you for telling me that.” Immortality had been on her mind a lot lately. How could it not? Her boyfriends-were they even that? Man, they needed to discuss that- were immortal. She had a brother that was, her sister was to be shortly. Quite literally everyone she associates with on a daily basis is an immortal, so she had been thinking about it a lot. The very idea terrified her. Her mind couldn’t comprehend eternity, or not dying. Not when she had been surrounded by death.

But it was also alluring. When the three of them were in the room with her, just _existing_ with her, she could see the appeal. Several times they were only all together at night, and she would be fighting sleep as time dragged on, not wanting to let the moment go.

It would be nice to just be able to sit with them and talk and just exist without wanting to fight her own eyelids.

“Blake, we do not mean to frighten you, but none of us are used to dealing with mortals. Aro is the one who understands the most because of his gift, but even that limits his ability to actually interact with you. Caius is indeed very violent. We all are, that is how we have come to have the position and reputation with it. Aro and I pale in comparison to Caius. He was a warrior in his human life and has since been fighting since waking as an immortal. It’s in his ways.

“With that said, none of us will ever make a move to intentionally harm you. You are frail to us, and Caius and I are not accustomed to holding back our strength. We have been taking extra care around you.” Blake turned her eyes very pointedly to the hand on her face. Marcus chuckled, pressing his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes and leaned against him.

“Earlier, Caius reacted the way he is accustomed to. His and Athenodora’s relationship is nothing like what we expect out of you. You are very independent. Athenodora was submissive to Caius. He is accustomed to his wife doing exactly as he says.” He held up a finger when Blake went to protest his words. “We do not expect you to nor do we wish for you to behave like that. You are very different than our previous wives. I realize Caius and Aro have not told you much of our lives before you. With your ability, I am sure you will see most of them eventually.

“Women have not always been viewed as they are now. Immortals protest change, it is not in our nature. However, we would try to turn the sky yellow for you if you would want it that way. Please, darling, Blake, pay no heed to Caius’ earlier words. I can assure you; you are not to bend to our every whim. You are our mate, not our slave. I am sure Caius is probably destroying something right now and debating how to apologize.”

“Last time he took me to his studio.”

“I am aware. I am glad you are aware of the weight of what he did. He is not a man of many words, nor emotion, but he does want to let you in. I have not been allowed into his studio since 1900. You understand?” She nodded and he laid a very gentle kiss to her forehead before standing. “I must return to work, please, get some rest.”

“Marcus,” He stopped walking and looked back at her. “Thank you.” He gave a small smile before wishing her a good night and leaving.

Blake flopped back down, and rubbed her face while groaning. That gave her a lot to think about. And she was also sure at least one of her therapists is going to yell at her tomorrow about going off her meds.

Oh well, that’s a problem for future Blake. She was determined to try to get some actual sleep, maybe even get lucky and have a glimpse of the past again.

But after having this particular vision, she wished she couldn’t see it, or at the very least that she could change what happened, because it was awful.


	31. Chapter 31

A small blonde boy, looks to be a teenager but still too small, was huddled into a ball in a dirt road. Dressed in nothing but trousers, his exposed back was covered in scars old and fresh. He was bleeding profusely from several long and jagged cuts across his entire back. A puddle of blood surrounded him.

Blake covered her mouth as she walked closer to him. He was shaking, barely noticeable, but still enough for her to see up close. His head was ducked into his knees, hands holding the back of his head.

Blake snapped her head up as someone approached. It was a very tall man dressed in a soldier’s uniform of some kind. A very old one, but enough for her to know he was a soldier. The man hissed something in a language-the language Caius always spoke.

With a start, Blake snapped her head back to the boy. “Caius?” Of course, he couldn’t hear her, she was merely an audience member in her visions, but it didn’t stop the horror that quickly took over her soul at seeing him like this.

The man said something else and the boy whimpered, before shakily sitting up and dropping his hands. A cry tore from Blake at seeing the entirety of his face and chest covered in fresh wounds and bruises.

He sniffled and the man stalked forward and kicked him across the face. “NO!” Blake desperately reached for the man, but like always, couldn’t touch him. She screamed and begged at watching this man beat Caius over, and over, and over again.

When the man finally left, Caius was not conscious, just a broken boy in the middle of nowhere and Blake was sobbing right next to him, trying desperately to reach him.

Blake gasped as she bolted up, hot tears streaming down her face. She quickly rolled over and grabbed her sketchbook and pencil and began drawing, trying to get lost in the normality of it instead of focusing on what she saw. She could still feel the horror and dread of what was happening, and she wanted to see Caius, but knew that whatever she saw happened long before the modern world and he is an immortal now. And she was still pissed at him.

Unfortunately, her worry didn’t get the memo as it kept chewing at her that she needed to see Caius. 

A loud sob tore from her throat and she silently cursed herself, bringing her fist up to her mouth and biting a knuckle. She clutched her pencil so hard in her other hand, her nails were digging into her palm.

“Blake?” She looked up, blinking through teary eyes to see Aro standing in the doorway looking at her cautiously. “May I come in?” She jerkily nodded. She snapped the sketchbook closed and he appeared by her side.

“Is Caius okay?” She knew he was, but wanted to confirm it anyway. Aro furrowed his brows but nodded as his hands came to rest on her shoulders, rubbing comforting circles. “good.” She pushed her hands into her lap and tried to get control of her emotions.

“Would you like for me to go get him?” She hesitated for a fraction of a second before quickly shaking her head.

“I’d really like to hit something though.” His lips parted as he glanced blankly at her.

An hour later, they were in a private gym a couple of blocks away from the castle; also underground. He was watching her carefully as she attacked a punching bag. He was making sure she didn’t accidentally hurt her leg. The only thing she was focusing on was trying to expel as much anger as she possibly could.

And she had a bunch.

She was angry that she was subjected to horrible visions of the vampires she cared about. She was angry at Caius for thinking he could just order her around. She was angry at Aro for keeping the fact that she was their mate a secret.

Her wrist rolled during a punch but she shook it off and kept going.

She was angry at her sister for implying she was a whore. She was angry at her sister for dragging her into the world of vampires in the first place. She was angry that she was angry at her sister.

But most of all she was furious with herself for being so emotional lately and such a bitch to Aro when he had only been kind to her. She was angry at herself for not being better, for getting hurt in the first fucking place.

She slammed her fist against the bag and screamed, a long soul-wrenching scream full of self-loathing and emotional pain.

Aro, bless his heart, just calmly watched her and caught her at lightning speed when her legs gave out.

“Feel better?”

“Actually- yeah. Can I keep going?”

“How’s your leg?”

“Fine.” He gave her a look and she huffed a laugh. “Really, it doesn’t really hurt. I just want to keep hitting this thing.” He nodded and stood with her. He made sure she was steady before disappearing back to the other side of the gym.

She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, adjusting the wrappings on her hands. She exhaled and began pummeling the bag again, seeing the faces of her team members that she failed. She gritted her teeth and the vision from her recent nightmare came back to the forefront of her mind. She grunted and smashed her fists against the bag faster. And faster and harder. And Harder. And-

“Blake.” Aro’s gloved hands caught her wrists gently. She jerked and tried to pull away from him. Her chest was aching with each deep breath she took in.

“What?” She snapped.

“You are bleeding,” He said very smooth and calm. She blinked and looked down at her hands. Dark red was seeping through the bandages. At once, she could feel her blood pulsing through her knuckles. He led her to the bench and had her sit as he knelt in front of her.

She could appreciate the sight of him on his knees in front of her even in the circumstances. His pristine suit pressed against a nasty floor of a gym as he gently unwrapped her hands. Her knuckles were completely busted.

“Were you ignoring me or just did not recognize I was talking to you?” She furrowed her brows and he looked up, his mouth turning down into a small frown. “I take it you did not even hear me. I called your name several times before I intervened.” Blake mumbled an apology watching as he unwrapped the other hand. He dismissed the apology with a small wave of his hand.

“Does that not bother you?” At this, he did look up. Even though she was bleeding- in very close proximity to him- he didn’t appear even the slightest bit bothered by it. He smiled gently at her.

“I have much more control than the Olympic Coven. Every moment around you makes me want you. Your blood is not at the forefront of my mind at any time. You are my mate- I don’t wish to harm you. Of course, that’s not to say you are not appetizing, because you are- I can hardly wait for the day you allow us to welcome you into immortality both to have you by our side for eternity, and for just a taste.” His eyes got a glint to them. “Of course, that will be small in comparison to having my venom course through your veins.”

A shiver shot through Blake’s spine, accompanied by a thought of him with her blood on him- that shot heat through her. He smirked at her before looking back down at her hands, taking the last of the wrappings off her hand.

“Could you stop?” He looked up; a single brow raised. “If you were to-” she cleared her throat – “If you were to taste.” Her eyes flickered to her knuckles. He followed her line of sight before looking back up to her, hands gently going under hers.

“If I were to, yes, it would pose no danger to you. Why do you ask?” He was excited, she could feel it, and that in turn shot more adrenaline through her veins. She gripped his hands.

“Do you want to?” His eyes darkened more so than their normal dark color around her.

“Are you sure? I may see into your head again.” She raised her hands. He gave her a smoldering look as he raised one of her hands. Her heart was thundering in her chest, reminding her of the danger of a vampire getting close to her blood. She could also tell that Aro posed no danger at the moment, but it was giving her that sense of danger which she had missed being out of the military.

He never once removed his eyes from hers as he raised one hand up to his face. He exhaled, the cold breath ghosting over her exposed hands and cuts. “You are certain?” She nodded. He tore his gaze from her to look at her knuckles, the other hand gripping her forearm gently. He swallowed and her breath caught as he lowered his head. He rubbed gentle circles on her forearm.

His cold lips first laid a gentle kiss on her split skin before opening kiss mouth and- oh. Ohh. Her eyes rolled back as his tongue made contact as he laid an open-mouthed kiss on her knuckles. He gently sucked before moving to each knuckle.

He- he would be a good kisser. He smirked against her skin and she knew he could definitely see her thoughts again.

Just like last time, though, this felt much more intimate than when they first met. This even more than before her surgery. He kissed each of her knuckles on that hand before switching to her other. She opened her eyes to watch him and he made eye contact this time, gently doing the same treatment to each knuckle. When he finished, he raised up, her blood on his lips. She watched as licked it.

He lowered his forehead and she laid hers against it. They stayed like that for longer than she paid attention to. Before he muttered a quiet ‘thank you’ and was gone before returning with a first aid kit, this time cleaning off the accumulating blood with an alcohol wipe which caused her to hiss, not expecting it. He apologized and continued to clean, disinfect, and wrap her knuckles. When he finished, he sat back on his heels, gently grasping her hands in his.

“I know you are still angry with me, but do not hold that in you, Blake. You need to discuss your feelings with someone. If not me, then Marcus at least. He is an exceptional listener. He’s been listening to Caius and I for millennia. Okay?” She nodded and he gave her a gentle smile. “Caius has also been given a firm talking to, even though he himself had already been cursing himself. He is trying to adjust, and he will. Just be patient with him if you can.”

“I am not some piece of property.”

“I know,” His tone was teasing, and she rolled her eyes, smiling anyway. “And he knows as well, he does not wish for you to be, either. He’s just…possessive. We all are- it is in our nature. But we are trying to be more understanding of you, okay?” She nodded and he smiled.

“And do not worry about getting a talking to by Anatoly and Demetri.” She snorted and he stood, and in a blink, she was in his arms. “Now we must be getting back, the sun is about to come up.”

A couple of hours later she was back in her own room taking a shower after eating breakfast. She got out and checked her bandages, glad that they were waterproof, and she didn’t have to worry about rewrapping them. Remembering Aro on his knees sent a shock through her and for a split second she contemplated getting back in the shower for some private time, but quickly dismissed that thought. No way, not when there was a vampire outside her bedroom door.

She got dressed and was planning on laying on her bed with a book, but a knock was on her door. It was Caius. She smiled at being able to tell but then frowned remembering how he acted the day before. She waited for several seconds before limping across the room and barely opening the door- just enough to look out. He held up a plate that had a cupcake on it.

“May I come in?” She rolled her eyes before opening the door and turning to sit on her bed. She pushed her back against the headboard and stuck her hands out. He gave her the plate before appearing on the bed next to her, a manilla envelope in his hands.

“What’s that?” She asked around a mouth full of cupcake. Chef Alberto made fantastic cupcakes, she had several over the past few weeks.

“Finish your dessert first and then I will show you.” She stuck her tongue out at him before carrying on. She could tell he felt bad about yesterday, but he was Caius and that meant that he wasn’t about to straight out apologize.

When she finished the cupcake, she moved the plate after sweeping up the crumbs off of it and eating them. With the plate safely on the nightstand, she turned back to Caius as he placed the envelope on her lap. She raised a brow and he merely nodded to it. She opened it, taking a long stack of paper. On each page was a picture of a person with a blurb and reviews. She flipped through several before turning to him.

“These are trainers.”

“You cannot spar with us, but you could with one of them. Pick one.”

“Wait…really? You’re not going to throw him across the room too?” He huffed and looked at her with that look. That look that says ‘you’re ridiculous but also right so I’m not going to say anything’. “Okay, okay. So, I just pick one of these dudes and I can spar with him? Really?” He nodded.

“Marcus told me you were a soldier and that you miss being one. He did not go into detail, but that was enough for me. Will this help?” She nodded and gave him a gentle smile.

“Tell me about you and Athenodora?” His eyebrows shot up. “You said you had a unique relationship with her. And Marcus said that she was submissive to you. I want to know because I want you to realize I’m not her, and I won’t ever be.”

“Alright.” He nodded once and she moved to lay her head on his shoulder. He immediately wrapped his arm around her. “We were both from a time much different than this. We did not court. I saw her, so I turned her and made her my wife. We traveled for a time before meeting Marcus and Aro.

“Athenodora was indeed submissive to me- I am not a kind man, and I enjoyed having her bend to my will. I want to make it clear- I do not want that from you. And I never will. I thrived on her submission, and as time went on, and I was more of a leader than a warrior, I fed on her pain.” A chill went down Blake’s spine and Caius stopped to purr for a second.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked and she shook her head. “We are immortals, so she would heal, but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable for me. I have always caused pain, and with her, well, it was something I was used to. She was still loyal and devoted to me, and would often initiate our… _activities._ I do not want to frighten you, but that was how our relationship worked. She enjoyed being hurt by me.”

There was several moments of uncomfortable silence. “I won’t do that.”

“I would not ask you to.”

“I’m not her.”

“I know, and I am glad.”

She looked up and over at him. “Then what _do_ you want from me?”

“I want you as you are. You are perfect just the way you are. Well, I would prefer you as an immortal, but that is a different situation. I do not want to hurt you. In any circumstance. I want you to have the _freedom_ you deserve.” She felt there was a deeper meaning to his words, but that would have to wait for another conversation. She nodded.

“I want you to trust me, and I want you to love me. I have told you before, we are not easy to love. Not one of us is. But we will cherish you and make sure you are protected. We will love you and give you the world should you ask for it.”

“You can’t freak out like you did yesterday. If you have a problem with something I’m doing, I need you to talk to me, and we can discuss it. And I expect the same courtesy, okay? I can’t have acting like you own me. Understand?” He nodded and she gave him a smile, nudging him with her shoulder.

“I shall try to calm my rage down even more than I already have around you. I am not accustomed to talking, I am more of a fighter than a diplomat, as I am sure you have noticed. But I will try for you, _Mio cara.”_

“that’s all I am asking of you Caius. I know I can’t change you, and I wouldn’t, if I could. You are you, and you are one of a kind. I just want you to realize that I will not submit to you, or your brothers. I’m just as stubborn and hard-headed as you- probably, anyway. Okay?” He nodded and gave her a comforting squeeze.

She started flipping through the stack. “When are you going to let me pick a personal guard?”

“Soon, I want to narrow the list first, to the most controlled and the most loyal. I cannot have just anyone around you. Speaking of, Renata is only helpful if she has contact with you.”

“If there is ever a situation in which I need her, then she can get to me quite quickly. I do not want her constantly touching me. That’s just weird. Surely you can see that.”

“I have never once wished for her to be on my guard for the same reason. If she could expand her shield, that would be a different story.”

“Why even assign her to me? Isn’t Aro more of a priority?”

“Not to us, _mio cara._ Not to us.”

She was going to argue that, but he sounded so sweet that she left it alone and continued looking through the stack, setting ones of interest to the side to make a shortlist. She asked Caius’ advice a few times while shortening her shortlist. One he threw out for the sole purpose that he didn’t like the way he looked. Blake, herself, didn’t see anything wrong with the way he looked. Which she said which got a growl from Caius which she laughed at and pat his chest.

He sulked while she was going through the rest of the stack. When she finally picked one, she gave it to Caius. He was an American, former special ops, which is ultimately had her choosing him. She felt a language barrier would be too much of a hassle, and honestly, she just wanted to be around another American. His name is Bryan, and she couldn’t wait to spar with him. Caius nodded as he took the sheet from her and put the others back in the envelope. He gave her a small smile before making to leave.

But apparently, she was full of being brave today.

“Caius,” he turned back to her, his dark eyes gently focused on her face. “Come back here for a second.” She stood and he walked back to her.

“Is something wrong?” Oh, bless his heart, he sounded so concerned. It might have something to do with the fact that her heart was pounding. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“Not at all, I just want to do something.” He nodded and she quickly moved her hand up to cup the back of his neck and she went up on her tiptoes. He immediately knew where this was going and dropped the folder and wrapped his arms around her waist as he ducked his head.

Their lips met for the first time and butterflies erupted in her chest.


	32. Chapter 32

They were kissing.

They were _kissing._

Blake sighed against him, leaning closer. Her hands ended up in his hair as the kiss got a little more forceful. She pushed right back against his eager lips. A low rumble came from Caius’ chest and then she was on her back on the bed, Caius leaning over her. She blinked up at him, her chest heaving with each needed breath. His hands ended up on the bed on either side of her face. He tore his dark eyes from hers as he ducked his head, leaving freezing kisses across her jawline.

She sighed, hands coming up to card through his soft hair. He purred against her neck as sucked gently on the skin. She shivered, arching closer to him.

Sure, he kissed her neck a lot- it seemed a favorite spot for him to put his mouth, but this was _intense._ They’d never kissed before and yet here she was under him.

His mouth found a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear and she moaned. She immediately pursed her lips as Caius smirked against her skin.

She felt the presence of her vampire body-guards disappear and that brought some sense back to her. She cleared her throat and moved a hand to press against his chest.

“Too much?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Wait, that’s not what I- I’m not afraid of you.”

“I sure hope this is not how you behave with those you fear.” She snorted and he chuckled lightly, hand moving to gently caress her jaw. “I know you are not. I understand your meaning. I apologize, I lost myself.”

“I am _not_ complaining.” His eyes trailed up and down her body, eyes slightly darkening.

“Oh, I _know_.”

“Okay, smug vampire, don’t you have a vampire world to rule or something?” She covered her face with her hands, a smile on her lips. In a blink, her hands were by her side and he was gently pressing his lips back against hers. She smiled into it, tilting her head back.

His hands migrated down to her hips and hers found themselves in his hair again. She gently tugged and he purred.

She parted from him with a screech when her phone’s ringer went off. Caius growled glaring in the direction of the phone. She rolled her eyes and moved to get it. He had her in his arms before she could get very far.

“Caius!” He smirked against her neck before pressing a kiss there and releasing her. She shook her head and picked up the phone. She frowned, it was Alice, and she usually didn’t call her.

“Hello?” She turned around and her breath caught in her throat. Caius was sitting on the edge of her bed, coat jacket askew, hair rumpled, with his dark intense gaze focused completely on her, shamelessly checking her out.

“You might want to focus on your telephone call, _mio cara.”_ She blinked and shook her head, turning so she didn’t get distracted again.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Alice asked exasperated.

“Absolutely…not?”

“Blake!”

“I’m sorry, okay? Repeat.”

“Ugh, fine. It’s only a couple of weeks until graduation, and since you’re in Italy, supposed to be in our summer home may I add, and can’t come down for it, and I knew you would like to be here, I figured we can schedule some kind of video call so you can see her on her graduation. I know you’re pissed at her, and you have every right to be, but still.”

“Alice-”

“wait, I’m not done. Jasper will be there too!”

“He graduated last year, Alice.”

“But he’ll still be there. Besides, how many times is going to graduate high school?” Blake rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know, how many times have you?”

“As soon as I said that I realized that was a poor choice of negotiation tactics. But come on, she’ll only do it once while human.”

“She didn’t come to mine and I _hadn’t_ insulted her.”

“Blake-”

“I’ll call you back later,” She turned back to see Caius had not moved an inch. “I’m kinda in the middle of something here.” Before she could say anything else, Blake hung up. She dropped the phone with a groan.

“You should have ignored that one.”

“I noticed.” She trudged back over to him, and he pulled her into his lap. She shrieked before laughing. He smiled at her.

“I have to go.”

“I figured.”

“would you like to come with me?” Blake raised her eyebrows. “I must return to work but we will just be doing some paperwork. You could perhaps draw in there? I know you must be terribly bored in here.”

“Oh, that is the only reason? You don’t want to show me off to your brothers?”

“I have no idea what you are speaking of.” By his tone and smirk, she knew he knew exactly what she was talking about and she was spot on.

“Okay, I give. I want out of this room for something besides therapy so yes, please.” He got up and put her on her feet. She grabbed her two sketchbooks and a couple of pencils.

He carried her at human pace which caused her to try to fix his hair, which he playfully bared his teeth at her for. “Oh, come on, you are not going in there like that.”

“I do not see anything wrong with it.”

They entered a room where she could tell Marcus and Aro were. It was a circular room with bookshelves framing the walls. In the middle of the room was a round table where and Marcus and Aro were in the progress of sitting down, a chair had a space cleared which is where Caius put her. The rest of the table was covered in documents, books, and ledgers, most of which she couldn’t even _tell_ what language they were in. Marcus and Aro both greeted her with smiles, though they both flicked their eyes between her and Caius several times. Caius pointedly ignored their looks instead taking his seat across from Blake.

The four of them made up the four directions, Blake sitting across from Caius, Aro, and Marcus across from each other.

“Hello, darling. It’s lovely to see you.”

“You too. Am I interrupting something?”

“Of course not. If you were, would I have brought you?” Caius asked, a wicked gleam in his eye which Blake matched.

“Probably.” He chuckled, looking down at a set of papers in front of him.

“Her choice,” he said, giving Aro a paper without looking up. Aro looked away from her to take it. It was the paper that had Bryan the trainer on. Aro nodded, putting the paper in a different stack. Blake looked at Marcus. He immediately met her eyes.

“Hi.” He smiled slightly.

“Hello, darling. How’s your pain.”

“I’m fine,” She answered immediately. Which, it was true, for once. Probably all of the adrenaline that has ran through her veins so far today. What with the punching bag and giving Aro her blood and her first make-out session with one of her _literal dream men,_ yeah, she really wasn’t in pain.

Marcus nodded and Blake awkwardly started drawing in her everyday sketchbook. She was drawing them, but as they were in the moment, engrossed in their work. Sure, they each looked at her several times a minute, but otherwise, it could have passed for one of her dreams.

The fact that it _wasn’t_ sent a thrill through her. Because it just adds to how much her life has changed. They were real, and she meant as much to them as they had to her. The past month with them had been intense, but she wouldn’t change it for hell.

After an hour or so, several times she knew they were talking to each other, because when she looked up, could see their lips moving, she cracked her neck, which caused all three of them to look at her. She raised her hands.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just cracked my neck. We humans do that.” Aro chuckled and shook his head going back to his papers. The other two were less quick to do so, but did.

After another ten minutes or so, when Blake could just _tell_ they were talking about her, Caius slammed his fist on the table, causing Blake to let out a startled gasp. The table had a large crack all the way past the middle as Caius stood, with a growl.

Blake watched with wide eyes but Aro just simply looked up at him with a lopsided smirk while Marcus pinched his nose.

“Not only have you damaged yet another beautiful piece of craftmanship but have startled our mate.”

“Did you not hear what Aro just said?” Caius growled.

“Of course, I did. He is simply goading you.” Caius seemed to relax slightly as Blake flicked her eyes between the three of them.

“Actually, not this time. Go ahead, _ask her.”_ Just like that, all three of them were looking at her.

“What did I do?”

“Nothing, darling. Calm down.” She pointed at Caius.

“He’s the one that looks like he needs to calm down.”

“Did Aro taste you?” Just like that, any comment she could have possibly had went out the window as her mouth went dry.

“What?” She cut her eyes to Aro who was watching with a passionate gaze.

“Did he hurt you?” She was not the only one to snap her eyes back to Caius. Aro stood with a furious snarl, his chair hurdling back. Blake shrieked and instinctively moved closer to Marcus. He immediately was by her side, positioning himself slightly in front of her.

“Enough!” Blake jumped and pressed her face against his arm. He gently and soothingly ran his fingers through her hair. He quieted down to inaudible words as she tightened her grip on him. When she felt gazes on her, she moved from behind him.

Caius and Aro were both looking at her with so much regret it nearly hurt.

“Caius was gloating that he was the first to kiss you, when Aro rebutted and said he had tasted you,” Marcus quietly explained. Blake stood and raised her eyebrows.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” they both began and immediately glared at each other.

“Geez, guys. How about just don’t act as if I am a piece of meat to win. Alright? Caius, he didn’t hurt me.” She raised her hands, showing her bandaged hands. “I beat up a punching bag too hard and busted the skin. Aro, _really?_ Aren’t you supposed to be thousands of years old? You’re still acting like a toddler?”

“A toddler-”

“I do not want to hear it,” Blake quickly interrupted Aro’s exasperated sentence. “Seriously, you two. You said you wouldn’t be jealous of each other.”

“I believe we said we would not be hostile and jealous towards each other, instead jealous of experiencing certain activities with you. Such as first kiss, or taste.” Blake rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Well can you not? Because it’s not like I don’t already feel bad enough as it is.” She immediately closed her eyes and groaned as all three of them looked at her with alarm. Marcus gently touched her shoulder.

“Blake, darling, you have nothing to feel bad about.”

“I don’t want to talk about this. Can I just go back to my room?” She opened her eyes and caught Aro’s very pointed look. His words from earlier came back to her, and she huffed, sitting down. “Fine. I know I don’t, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling it.” At once, her chair had been pushed back a little, and all three of them were on their knees in front of her, one of each of their hands on top of hers. Aro’s, thankfully, still had his gloves on.

“What is going on?” Caius asked. She looked at Aro who nodded.

“I may know what’s going on, but they do not. Go ahead.”

“Sometimes it feels like I’m a huge inconvenience to all of you. I’m human being the first and foremost and instead of turning me, you let me have surgery which is even _more_ of an inconvenience, and sometimes it feels like maybe my sister is right.” At that, their eyes darkened.

“I know it’s okay to be with all three of you, I do. But, it doesn’t magically change the way I’m used to acting. That my brain still tries to guilt-trip me into thinking I’m cheating on you guys, and when you guys argue about things like that- that makes it worse.”

“Oh, _mio cara,_ I deeply apologize.”

“I’m adjusting, I really care about you guys, okay. It’s just an adjustment for me.” She gave them a small smile. When Marcus moved to get closer, she slipped out of the chair to hug him. He immediately reciprocated, Caius’ and Aro’s hands moving to her shoulders.

She spent the rest of the day with them while they were doing their work. Snarky remarks were thrown between Caius and Aro, but nothing terrible. She joined in a couple of times, getting playfully offended looks from Caius and/or Aro and a smile from Marcus.

She ended back up in Aro’s room that night and had a peaceful night's sleep. However, the morning was a different story.

Anatoly barged into the kitchen while she was eating breakfast to demand why she had deviated from her medication. He was quickly shut up when Aro appeared behind him.

Blake snorted, covering her mouth at the look of pure terror that came over Anatoly’s face when he realized one of his masters was behind him.

“Anatoly. A word.” Anatoly somehow blanched as he quietly turned and walked out the door. Blake sent Aro a look and he merely gave an innocent look as he followed the doctor out the door.

Blake rolled her eyes before continuing with her breakfast. When she finished, Afton showed up to escort her back to her room. Renata was always several steps behind her any time she wasn’t in her room or with the kings. And Blake really found it unnerving.

Once back in her room, she looked around.

She was bored and had nothing to do.

Not for a couple of more hours, anyway. She had more dancing to do later on. She chuckled to herself as she turned to the collage on her wall. If Nick could see her now. He’d probably die laughing.

She swore she’d never find love, and she was pretty close to having that, and she hated dancing. Yet here she was, taking dancing lessons. Of course, it was to help her walk, but still. She gently touched one of the pictures of her team and swallowed a lump that formed in her throat.

She turned and crossed the room to grab her phone and called her C.O.

“Swan.”

“Sir.”

“I know why you called, and you know I cannot tell you.”

“I just need to know if you know who the bastards are that murdered my team.” He went silent as she cracked her knuckles.

“Blake. I know this is hard for you, but you need to listen to me carefully. I cannot tell you. The sun has been looking brighter though.”

“The sun, sir?”

“Yeah, the Sun. You know, the big bright flaming star when _you look up_.” Blake smirked.

“Of course, sir. The Sun.” her tone was more amused now.

“I could have sworn it set in the wrong direction last week though. Guess that means I’m not getting enough sleep.”

“Yeah, war zones will do that to you.”

“It’s the village, Swan. I’m not at base.”

“Of course, sir. Sorry to bother you. It won’t happen again.” She hung up and a dark look crossed her face. He just gave her everything she needed to know. They both know who killed her team now. Sometimes code was aggravating, other times, like this, she loved it.

A couple of hours later, after she was thoroughly exhausted from dancing with Demetri, she went to Caius’ office. He looked up when she came in. His eyebrows shot up when he looked at her. She had the same determined look on her face that she used when on a mission.

He stood and appeared before her in a blink. “Is something wrong?” He asked, hands resting on her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder.

“Can you send them away?” At once, she felt the presence of Afton and Renata disappear. “I want to talk to you about something.” He nodded and led her to a couch. She sat down, and instead of sitting next to her like she expected, he knelt in front of her, hands holding onto hers. He rubbed softly over her bandaged knuckles. She took one hand back to get the picture out of her pocket. She handed it to him.

“You were a marine.” He sounded impressed. She nodded. He looked up from the picture.

“That was my team. My buddy was Nick. We were _family._ We all were. And the same attack that did this,” she motioned to her leg, “ _took them from me._ And I know who’s responsible now.” Her eyes narrowed. His darkened.

“You wish to do something about it?”

“I want to make them pay.” Her voice was dark. Caius very gently squeezed her hands with his free one as he tilted his head up.

“I will send De-”

“No, Caius,” Blake quickly interrupted. She reached forward to cup his face; jaw clenched. “ _I_ want to make them pay.” His eyes lit up with pride and excitement.

“Where are we going?”


	33. Revenge Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter ended up much longer than I thought it was going to, so it is divided into two parts. The second part is going up right after this one, so it'll be available. Hope you enjoy!

“Absolutely not!” Aro growled. They were all back in the round room, Blake with her backpack slung across her back as Caius stood in front of where she was sitting. Marcus was calmer, but also very visibly opposed to the idea.

“Brother, I will never leave her side. She will be perfectly safe.”

“I said _no.”_ Blake glowered, arms crossing tighter across her. Marcus looked at her softly.

“We are only thinking of your safety,” he was being condescending and she was having _none_ of it. Not now.

“Fuck that!” All three of them looked at her and she glared at Caius who immediately turned back around to look at Aro. “Caius is one of – if not _the_ best fighters in the whole damned coven. He can keep me safe and you know that.”

“There is a plethora of circumstances which could not be foreseen which could harm or kill you, Blake. I cannot allow that to happen.” She stood, her swivel chair spinning violently away. She stepped around Caius and got right into Aro’s personal space, glaring into his eyes, despite her sixth sense telling her not to look at the angry apex predator in the eye.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I know you’re weirdly possessive, but I’ll be fucking alright.”

“Blake, I understand your anger, however-”

“Oh! You do, do you?” She clenched her teeth and shot her hands up to rest on his face, his eyes dilated as she let him into her every thought. She closed her eyes focusing on the memory of her team dying in front of her, of Nick bleeding out beneath her. Her own searing pain, the soul-crushing feeling three days later when another unit found her and she was the only one they had medics on, because she was the only one alive. The feeling-

Aro’s gloved hands pulled hers away from his face and she snapped her eyes open.

“That is not fair.”

“Oh, so any other time you want to see thoughts except for when it goes against your high and mighty view, right?” She spit out.

“Blake. I am only thinking of you.”

“Remember how we were just discussing how I am not a possession?” Her eyes narrowed onto his. He nodded once; eyes narrowed on her as well. “Well, I wasn’t asking for your _fucking permission.”_ Immediately after she said that his grip was no longer on her arms, as the horrid screech of stone tearing echoed through the room. Caius was now in front of her, Aro unmoving on the ground, deep cracks on his neck going up to his face.

Blake raised her wide eyes up to Caius. He nodded at her. She turned to Marcus, Caius coming to stand by her side. Marcus raised a brow.

“Please, Caius, keep her safe.”

“Of course, I will,” Caius growled, the sound echoing through the room.

“Blake, I just want to keep you safe. You do exactly as Caius says while you are there.” She nodded. “Go, both of you. Before Aro heals enough to call his guards to stop you.” With that, Blake was in Caius’ arms. She waved bye at Marcus and then everything was a blur. She ducked her head into his chest.

Soon, she was in the passenger seat of a luxurious car. He got in the driver’s side and peeled out of the garage. She reached over and grabbed his hand. He turned his dark eyes to her. He smiled lightly at her.

“thank you.” He nodded, not once taking his eyes off of hers. And while that made her nervous as they were still going around the curves of the garage, she knew he knew what he was doing. “For the record, that’s why I said we should just leave. But no, we had to tell them first. I mean, I get it, they’d probably go on a spree trying to find us. Will Aro forgive us?”

“He only needs to forgive me. He will not be angry with you.”

“Are you sure?” He nodded and she chewed on her lip.

“Reach into the glove compartment and hand me the cellular phone.”

“You can just call it a cell phone, you know.” She pulled her hand back to open the glovebox. She reached in and pulled out a…smartphone. She turned to Caius with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“This is a smartphone.”

“Indeed.”

“…what’s wrong with normal phones?” He rolled his eyes and held out his hand. She gave it to him. She closed the box with her foot and sat back. He shook his head and chuckled. He quickly dialed a number. When someone answered, he apparently didn’t bother with formalities, as he immediately rattled off in another language. The actual call didn’t last more than thirty seconds, but since he was a vampire, he was able to put a lot of information into that call.

He hung up and turned to look at her as they sped down the road.

“My shortlist for your personal guard will be accompanying us. I do not trust Afton nor Renata to come along, they may just get in the way. My guard is completely loyal to me and will do as I say. This will also give you a chance to familiarize yourself with them to aid you in your choice.” She nodded and gave him a small smile. He reached over to grab her hand. She squeezed it and turned to look out of the window, watching nighttime Volterra pass by.

She absent-mindedly rubbed circles on his hand, and he did the same. She had no idea how fast he was driving but knew that it certainly wasn’t legal. He swerved in between cars, to pass someone, and almost hit an oncoming truck causing Blake to screech and grip his hand tighter. He chuckled and tightened his grip on her hand.

When they parked at the airport, she could not get out of the death trap fast enough. He laughed at her as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and lifted her. She shrieked and laughed, covering his hands with hers.

“ready to go get revenge?” He murmured darkly against her ear, and a shiver went down her spine and she felt herself going into combat mode. She nodded turning her head to look at him. She leaned and closed her eyes as their lips met. He purred, pressing her to him tighter. Blake pulled away suddenly, jerking when she felt a strong sense of danger and vampire she didn’t recognize. Caius put her down and turned her to him.

“Everything is alright, my guard is here.” He turned and kept himself in front of her, as five figures suddenly appeared in the night. He spoke quietly and rapidly in Italian before he turned, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand right next to him.

The five vampires immediately hit one knee; arms braced against it like a knight. She looked up at Caius. He was steely as he looked down at the five of them.

“This is Blake, your Mistress, you will protect her with your life. She is just as much your commander as I am. If any harm comes onto her because of any of your negligence, you will suffer the consequences for eternity,” his voice was much darker and commanding than she was used to.

“Blake, this is Julian,” He pointed to the one on the far left. The one in question looked up, meeting her eyes. He had buzzed short black hair and crescent shape scars covering the left side of his face. He looked back down at the ground as Caius moved his hand on. “Martin.” This one was ginger, and when he looked up, he had a youthful spark in his red eyes. “Octavian.” He looked up, his long braided black hair moving off his shoulder, which Caius narrowed his eyes at. “Didacus.” He looked up, his gray hair not moving an inch. When their eyes met, a comforting feeling draped over her. She took a step before Caius growled and he looked down. Blake immediately shook her head and stepped back, latching onto Caius’ hand.

“What was that?”

“His gift. And finally, Aleksei.” This man, with familiar-looking purplish-black hair, tilted his head up but kept his eyes on the ground. Blake figured Caius would say something about that, considering how he had reacted to the others so far, but he didn’t.

“If you wish for any of them to stay, say so now.” She snapped her eyes up to him, and he was looking at her completely serious. She shook her head. He nodded once, hand moving from hers to rest on the small of her back which sent shivers through her. “Then let us be off.”

A short while later, Blake and Caius were in the _stateroom-_ what it is, is a fucking bedroom on the fucking jet. Which she said to Caius as soon as they got in there. He chuckled, shaking his head as he helped her into a seat for takeoff.

Shortly after, he had her lay down on the bed, to try to get some sleep. Which he tried to leave. She grabbed his hand.

“I must discuss their responsibilities.”

“If you must insist that I sleep instead of being part of that conversation, the least you could do is lay next to me so I _can_ fall asleep.” He narrowed his eyes, but the next second, he was lying next to her, her head on his shoulder. “Better.”

Usually on the way to combat missions- which is what this was, basically (or that is what she kept telling herself so she could actually go through with it) she was not able to fall asleep. But with Caius quietly purring beneath her, she had no problem with going to sleep. She only stirred when she felt his energy leave, but went back to sleep easy enough since he was only just right out the door.

When they landed, he had her in his arms, and gently woke her up, peppering her neck with kisses. “We must move quickly, while it is still night.” She nodded, grabbed her backpack, and allowed him to carry her. They moved quickly throughout the airport.

Octavian and Julian walked next to each other in front of Caius and Blake. To their right was Martin, to left was Didacus, and behind them was Aleksei. They effectively had Caius and Blake surrounded.

It was a formation she was familiar with and had been apart of many times. Usually, though, she wasn’t the one being protected in those circumstances. They ended up in a car, Octavian, and Martin in the front seat with Caius and Blake in the back.

The other three, she was told, would run and make sure everything was clear. They would keep pace with the car. Octavian drives much slower than Caius. When they were approaching their destination, Martin reached back to hand her a covering. She quickly pulled it on, adjusting it the way she knew she had to wear it. One, she was a woman, two, because people in the area might be able to recognize her without it, and she wasn’t going to risk it. They pulled up to a nice hotel, well, as nice as it can be in an area riddled with war, and Caius and Blake walked in.

The man saw Caius and eyes went wide as dinner plates. He rushed over and bowed, rattling off in Arabic. Caius spoke back gruffly before he was handed a key. Blake wisely kept her eyes on the ground all the way until they got to their room. She closed and locked the door, pressing a chair against it, lodging it beneath the doorknob as Caius went and opened a window.

In a flash, all five other vampires were in the room.

“We’ll have to act at night,” Caius said. Blake nodded.

“It’s when they operate the most, anyway.” She pulled off her backpack and face cover and limped to the table. He immediately stepped behind her, which she was thankful for. She didn’t like her back being exposed, but especially not in a combat zone.

She pulled out a folder from her bag and opened it, dropping her bag into a chair. She spread out maps of the area and pictures of carvings and massacres. “My unit called them The Sons of Masochists. They’ve done tons of terrible things, and the only thing we got concrete on them was that it was a small, independent terrorist cell. My C.O. was talking to me and was talking in code about how ‘the sun shines brighter’, which means that they’ve been making more of a name for themselves.

“This village here,” She pointed to one of the close-up aerial maps where an area was circled. “Is where they’ve been seen a lot. Now, their base is likely to the east of the village. It has been combat free for a little over a year, which would be a good place for the operatives to work without drawing attention, especially if some of them live or volunteered to help find survivors there when a shell hit it.

“And I know they’ve been acting lately. They usually resurface every couple of months before going back underground, usually in different areas, but in this general region.” She pointed to one of the larger maps that had different militant markings on it.

“Their base is likely an abandoned military base in the area and I don’t have access to those.”

“We can handle that part,” Caius said, leaning against her. She looked at him and then the vampires.

“I know you’re supposed to be making sure I don’t get hurt, but I really _need_ to do this.” Caius nodded.

“Then you shall. Just name what you want.” She raised her chin meeting his heated gaze with one of her own.

Several hours later, she was getting restless. The guard, minus Octavian, had gone out to get some of the things she requested. The rest they’ll get when they go to infiltrate. Caius was sitting next to her at the table looking over her notes on The Sons.

He passed her a paper and she eagerly sat up, looking it over.

“This says there are likely trained assassins?” Caius asked, glowering at her. She nodded once.

“We never had proof but due to some of their kills, we figured there must be at least one. Caius, my info on them, besides their location, is a year old.” He waved it off.

“It matters not. I will not allow you to go in underprepared.” She nodded.

When the guard showed up with several cases, she was back in combat headspace and started opening it up, ignoring the fresh blood on one of them. Seeing weapons in front of her again relaxed her in a way that probably indicates some form of not being right in the head, but she didn’t care. 

She grabbed a couple of different guns and strapped a knife holster on her thigh, just in case things got ugly while doing recon. Caius picked her up and covered her face with his coat as he jumped out of the windows, seeing as the sun had finally gone down.

They stopped on the outskirts of the village. He put her on her feet and made sure she was stable. When she was sure she was, she took a step back from him, and wrapped a piece of fabric around her face, leaving only her eyes exposed, which the guard had already done themselves. Caius did so as well. Just in case they’re spotted.

Can’t exactly have an ex-marine spotted on the outskirts of combat and let it just go by unquestioned.

Blake turned slowly in a circle, taking everything in, trying and failing to keep her eyes off of the old community center. She took a deep breath and continued past it, she could deal with the past later. For now, she was on a mission.

“We should head east.”

“No,” that drew their attention to her. She closed her eyes, focusing on the feelings she got. She used to do this on recon with Nick all the time and now that she _knew_ that it would actually help her, she would definitely be taking advantage of it.

“There’s a bunch of different groups in the east right now. Let’s take a look around here until they filter out.” She said as she turned back to Caius. He nodded once and turned to say something to his guard. They disappeared into the night, and Caius and Blake began walking through the village.

“Are you alright to walk?” She nodded. They walked for a while before finding recent vandalism, with The Sons symbol carved into it. She looked at it, before she felt a prickling sensation against her right side. She turned and her eyes caught movement, which Caius obviously saw as well. At once, both of them were on their feet, and the figure took off. One of the guard dropped down from the roof before the figure.

The figure let out an ear-shattering scream. The doors to houses opened before an influx of people barged out, holding makeshift weapons. Blake caught Caius’s arm when he went to move and shook her head when he turned to her. He stood in front of her, arm extended to shield her.

They were shouting in the mixture of Hebrew and Arabic and the figure ran out of the alley, revealing a small girl. She ran to a man, and Blake ducked under Caius' arm, causing him to curse and catch her by the waist.

“Talia!” The people silence and the girl’s eyes widened. “Caius, let go of me. They won’t hurt me.” Caius slowly let go of her and she stumbled, trying to keep her footing. She slowly raised her hands before pulling the wrapping off of her face. The girl’s face lit up as she ran forward.

Blake caught her in a hug.

“B-lake!” The other villagers had various degrees of suspicion written on their faces. All except Talia’s family, who was looking at her with teary eyes.

“Blake. What are you doing? Sneaking around? You know you welcomed here,” Talia’s father said, thick in accent.

“I’m not here, understand?” He immediately nodded. “No matter what, I have not been here.” She looked at Talia who nodded before hugging her tighter. “I’m looking for the group who did this.” She jerked her head towards the debris.

“No good bastards. They live to the east of here. They’ve laid low the past few days. They should still be there.” Blake nodded at the young boy and looked back at Talia.

“You’ve gotten _so_ tall. Your sister would be proud.” Blake blinked the tears out of her eyes, and Talia nodded, a toothy smile on her face. “And being this brave to come out here all alone, you’re amazing. Go back to your parents.” She nodded and ran away. Blake stood up and caught Caius’ hand.

“We set the trap for them, we want them out our home,” Talia’s father said. Blake nodded.

“They will be,” She promised. “Remember what I said, I have not been here, make sure everyone here knows that.” He nodded. “Stay inside at night for the next couple of days.” He nodded and with that, the villagers made their way back into their homes, Talia waving happily at her which she returned.

The moment she was out of sight, Blake’s legs buckled as she let out a quiet sob. Caius caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

“Blake.” Blake shook her head, burying her face in her hands as she remembered failing this village once before, getting Talia’s sister, whom Blake was so close to, killed.

“ _Marine_.” At once, Blake’s spine straightened, and her hands snapped down to her side as her eyes sharpened at the command. She blinked as Caius’ hands gently landed on her jaw, caressing it. “You are alright.” She took a deep breath and relaxed out of attention and pressed her forehead against his.

“I’m alright. I think we can go now.” He nodded once and stood, carrying her with him.

“If you are certain.” She nodded and together, they started towards the east. She felt the presence of his guard disappear past them. When they got to a hill, Caius took the liberty of carrying her up it. They stopped at the top, kneeling next to some scrap.

Several minutes passed before the guard showed back up.

“There are three buildings in the general area that fit your description,” Julian started.

“The first is about ten miles from our current location, the other two about fifty from that one in opposing directions,” Martin finished, his eyes flashing. Blake nodded, pulling her covering back around her face.

“Then let’s go.” Caius picked her up, and then the guard got back into position around them. They took off.

The first two were a bust. Blake’s intuition was letting her know the third wouldn’t be a waste of time. They took up position on a ridge that overlooked the last building. Three members of the guard dispersed to surround the building to see if they could see anything from different angles.

Blake took out her scope and started surveilling the building. After about five minutes, she caught movement, and pointed.

“I see it, _mio cara.”_ She was glad that he was taking time to let her do her own thing, even though he could clearly see everything which was happening. It was a vehicle, apparently full of supplies. They opened a large crate, but she couldn’t clearly see.

“Is it guns?” As soon as she asked, she felt a cold pit of dread. “It’s not guns, is it?” It wasn’t as much a question as a statement.

“No. Not guns.” His own voice was dark, and she sighed, looking away from the scope to look at him.

“Kids?” He nodded once. She groaned, putting her head down on her arms. “Are they alive? Sometimes they’re not.”

“I only see one moving.”

“Can they survive until tomorrow night?” The vampiric presence increased, and she picked her head up.

“They are discussing a trade, supposed to take place Thursday.” That was two days from now. She nodded, looking back through the scope. Some of the other crates were weapons crates. She moved, looking at all points of entry she could as the rest of the guard came back to surround her and Caius.

“ _Mio cara,_ we need to get back.” She nodded, giving one last look at the vehicle before letting him pick her up and take off. As soon as they got back to the hotel room, she tried to flop onto the bed, but her stupid maybe-boyfriend- they still need to talk about that- intercepted her and made her eat. Once she did that, though, she collapsed into bed and was out like a light. Having the protective presence of Caius let her do so just as the first rays of light started filtering through the window.

She woke up about an hour till sunset, to see Caius the only one in the room with her. He gave her a smoldering look.

“what?” She croaked, stretching.

“You look ravishing.” She snorted.

“I probably look like shit. I’m all sleep crusty and-” He appeared before her, sitting on the edge of the bed, and glared down at her. She went silent, giving him a sheepish look.

“I will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of my mate like that.” She couldn’t help it, she started laughing. He leaned down and she shrieked, ducking her head. He gave her a very hurt and concerned look. “What did I do wrong? Should I have asked first?”

“Caius, you can kiss me as much as you like, but I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. That’s just gross.” He gave her a dark look before she was on her back, hands held above her head in one of his freezing ones. “Caius, no. that’s gross, Caius!” He gently nipped at her lip before pressing his lips firmly against her and any protest died in her throat as she moaned, leaning up into him. She tried to move her hands, but he stubbornly kept them there. She moved her head back and glared.

“If I can’t brush my teeth first, I at least get to be able to touch your hair.” He gave her a devastatingly attractive smirk.

“As much as I do not mind showing off what is mine, I do not wish to give my _guard_ a show.” She furrowed a brow before she felt the quickly approaching presence of more vampires.

“Oh, you did that on purpose.”

“Whatever are you talking about, little mate?” She glowered at him as she quickly went into the bathroom to take care of her human needs, change, and to brush her fucking teeth.

She came out and was greeted by a wrapped burrito shaped package of aluminum foil to the face which smelled strongly of paprika. She blinked and took the package from Martin. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he nodded. Caius rolled his eyes when Blake’s met his. She chuckled.

“Dinner is served, Mistress.” She grimaced.

“Do you have to call me that?” His eyes widened slightly, jaw clenching.

“Of course, they do, you are above them in rank, _mio cara.”_ She snapped her eyes back to Caius at his cruel tone. His eyes immediately softened from their narrowed glare. He motioned to the chair. “Come here and eat your food.” She rolled her eyes but did so. She didn’t miss the glances the guard sent to each other, but also didn’t comment on it.

She ate her good- albeit _very_ spicy – burrito thing and then started going through the cases.


	34. Revenge Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that this story has been tagged with 'graphic depictions of violence'.

She checked the chamber of a sniper rifle before slinging it on her back. She checked through a couple of different handguns before picking one and sliding it into the waistband of her pants against the small of her back. She put the knives back on her thigh and opened another box which she took out a syringe and gave it to Caius without looking at him.

“Make sure that doesn’t get broken.”

“What is it?” She turned to him and almost laughed at the very angry look he was sending to the needle in his hand.

“Epinephrine- adrenaline. I very much do not think I’ll be able to do much of anything with this leg unless I’ve got it pumping through my system.”

“…is it safe?”

“I’ve done it before,” She said as she turned back to the cases.

“That was not an answer.”

“It won’t kill me, if that is what you’re worried about. Besides, any negative long-term side effects wouldn’t even show up until years after my heart stops.”

* * *

Caius blinked rather forcefully as he comprehended what his mate just said to him. He contemplated the likelihood that he misheard, but that was quite literally impossible. His beautiful mate was standing there, continuing looking through crates of weaponry that every time she picked one up seemed to make his heart beat again just to stop. But she was continuing like she had not just revealed to him that she did indeed planned to become immortal.

He knew he could not live without her, but he had not been sure if you could actually still live with him turning her against her will. And now, now he did not have to worry about it. She had every intention of turning.

He glared at Martin when he noticed he was smirking. Martin immediately straightened up and dropped into an indifference mask. Caius growled lowly and put the syringes in his pocket. He had his reservations about allowing his mate to inject herself with something without Anatoly present, but ultimately, he trusted her.

This was something she needed, and he would give it to her.

Nothing could describe the exact emotion he experienced when she came into his office, looking every bit as brave as the immortals on his guard. He was completely unprepared for her sudden opening of a window to her past but was grateful.

Unprepared was the word for being shown she was a marine.

There is no word to express just how unexpected her request-no, it was much too firm, that was every bit of an order to hunt down the organization that took so much from her.

Once she had informed him of what they did, he expected perhaps trying to comfort her, but seeing that glint in her, one he knew well, he knew she wanted them dealt with. He had been prepared to send Demetri to hunt them down and bring them back to him for some…extracurricular activities- of which he would have kept the details away from her. But she didn’t even let him finish his suggestion before she said she wanted to do it.

And yes, she had suggested leaving at once after his immediate approval. He knew if he had done that, even calling his brothers from the car, would have ended up with him probably in pieces for a year or two and Blake right back at the castle. And he could not deprive her of the _only_ thing she has ever asked of him besides if it was okay for her to go to his studio. He would not.

* * *

Blake sighed as she grabbed another gun, locking it into place in a boot holster. She took a deep breath as she distanced her emotions from the mission or rather-combat mode. It was something she learned to do early on during deployment or else she wouldn’t have been able to do some of the missions.

Being able to sense the evil in the enemies helped though.

But right now, she had no worries about being able to complete the mission. She knew she would. It was the matter of that she didn’t want to lose her head, didn’t want to make Caius and his guard protect her.

_This was her world_

They can protect her in their world, but this is hers and she could handle herself. And she wanted the pleasure of making these bastards pay all to herself.

She opened her eyes as she spun on her heel. Her eyes met Caius’ and butterflies erupted in her chest again. She did not think she would ever get used to him actually looking at her like she meant everything to him.

“Ready?” She nodded and within a second, she was in his arms. They took off running as she ducked her head into his chest, deeply inhaling his scent.

When they stopped several minutes later, they were in the back of a supply truck. She took the sniper off her back and opened a case, sliding the vest on.

“ _Mio cara,_ we will not allow a bullet to hit you.”

“I know, but I need this,” She said turning back to him. “I need at least _one_ part of this to feel like I’m not breaking my oath. And if that’s a vest, I think that’s alright.” He stared at her for a long minute before nodding. She grabbed a pair of ballistic gloves and slid them on before taking the sniper back from him. She grabbed a small box before getting back in his arms.

They stopped back on the ridge and this time only two of the guard disappeared, Martin and Julian to check the perimeter- and to make sure no one escapes.

She took the gun off her back and lowered herself to her stomach. They waited in silence for several minutes before two men came out for a smoke.

“No one leaves here,” her voice was dark as she tried to block out the memory of her team members’ last moments. She squeezed the trigger.

The second man immediately looked up in alarm but didn’t have time to do anything before a bullet pierced his skull as well. Blake turned, focusing on a stairwell on the north side, and eliminated three more targets.

Caius’ comforting presence next to her never wavered. She could tell he was going to support her no matter what happened here. She knew that- and that’s one of the reasons she went to him with this.

His guard, however, she could practically _feel_ their surprise.

She saw a truck approaching and shot out the driver, calmly looked up from the scope to watch it crash. It was immediately flanked by one of the vampires that had left the group. She stood up and turned to Caius, hand slipping into his pocket as she ran her eyes over the target.

She stuck the needle in her leg and sighed.

“You do realize that I am aware that is not common practice for military,” He said lowly, leaning down to speak against her ear as they both looked out at the building.

“I know. Thank you, anyway. I will be fine, Caius. I promise. I just, I need to be able to do this.” She could feel her heart start racing, and the pain in her leg was quickly fading. He nodded and she made sure the wrapping around her face was secure before she nodded to Caius. He carried her to the door. She stepped over the body and looked at him and nodded. He moved forward, kicking the door. It flew off the hinges.

She had her handgun up as she turned in quickly.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Three bodies hit the ground as she quickly moved through the hall. Her skin prickled and she turned, firing. Another body hit the ground. She moved through the halls quickly. She put the gun back in her pants and took out a knife.

She ran, sliding on her knees as two men came out of a room. She slashed one across the thigh. He fell to the ground as she jumped up. Her blade sunk right in the other’s throat. He gurgled as she pulled it out, hot blood flowing down her arm.

She spun, knife slashing across the other’s throat. She turned, jumping, and catching another man by the neck with her legs. They hit the ground and she caught his arm, gaining enough leverage to snap his neck.

She jumped up, taking off.

Not ten minutes later, over half the base was dead, the remaining secured in the centermost room. No windows. No way for anyone outside to hear any screams.

She recognized one. The one who was obviously in charge. The one who had stood over Nick’s body and spat and laughed.

She had him chained up by his wrists, his feet barely touching the ground, everyone else was on the ground, hands, and feet bound together.

She felt gross, she was covered in congealing blood, which was much worse than fresh blood.

“Do you know who I am?” She asked, stepping right into the leader’s face. He gave a wide, open mouth smile, showing off his rotten teeth. She slammed her head forward, breaking his nose. He laughed, blood flying from him.

She huffed, ripping the fabric off of her face.

“Do. You. Know. _Who I AM?”_ He looked at her for a moment.

“Ha! You’re a coward.” She screamed, slamming her fist against his face. “Again!” She glared and almost did it. But that would be playing with him. She turned and had a feeling. Her eyes locked on someone about her age, him glaring defiantly at her. She looked back at the leader and smiled. It was dark, and conniving, nothing like how she had the chance to act for the past year. She stalked over to the young man on the ground and pulled him up by his collar.

He tried to find purchase, but his bound legs made that quite impossible. She smirked, patting his face with the barrel of her gun. She looked back at the leader, and knew her sixth sense was right once again.

“What will you do for your son?” He gave a sarcastic laugh. She turned her head up looking at Martin, who was standing on the rafters. “Loosen those chains, will you, please?” At once, the leader collapsed into a heap on the ground. Caius was there to slam him against the wall, turning his head to where Blake was standing before moving back to the shadows.

She made sure he was watching before she pushed the man away and- _Bang!_ A well-aimed shot to his throat had his eyes widening, mouth falling open in a silent scream as blood spewed from him. The leader screamed out foreign profanities trying to get up. Blake grabbed the man by his shirt and dragged his fighting form over to him. She threw him on top and placed her foot on his back, forcing his wound to be at eye-level with his father.

“Do you know who I am now?”

* * *

Caius was…impressed. He had very limited interactions with humans, and when he met his Blake, he never expected this to happen. He was _far_ from complaining. She had a confidence around her in this moment that he had not seen in her.

She was more in her element here than in a locked in a room.

He knew he could not allow her to be treated like Dora and Sulpicia, locked in a tower with artificial contentment. _That_ would destroy her.

No, she was just as much as a fighter as he was. Not to the same degree as him, but they had eternity to remedy that.

“Please, ma’am, I have a fam-” Blake didn’t even look away from the object of her rage as she lifted her weapon and fired, a bullet going straight through the talker’s skull. Caius was no fan of weapons, he was much more efficient on his own and the sound of guns was a nuisance to his kind, but watching her use one as an extension of herself was something he was quickly becoming to enjoy.

Caius was completely enraptured as he watched Blake apply more pressure to the son as his father struggled under him. She smirked wide, hazel eyes wicked as she stared down at him.

“This is how I saw your face. As you spat on my fallen brother, as I was barely hanging to life underneath my _dead brother,_ surrounded by the bodies of the rest of _my family.”_ She turned shot three more in the heart before ejecting the clip of the gun and replacing it.

The young man stopped struggling as he gave one last strangled wheeze as his heart gave out. Caius smirked as Blake merely cocked her head to the side before kicking the body off of the commander. She crouched down in front of him.

“So, do you know who I am now?” He raised his pathetic teary eyes to look her in the eye and Caius had to fight the urge to rip him apart for even daring to stare his mate in the eye. But this was _her mission._ He settled for growling lowly and ignored the looks his guard was sending him.

“Master, she can handle it. She’s yours.” Sometimes, Caius wondered why he accepted Martin into his elite guard. He was gifted, but he had problems with remembering his place.

“You were the one that was not supposed to be there.”

“What?” She snapped, and Caius did not blame her. He had an idea where this conversation was heading.

“That bastard you are talking about. He was supposed to be there with four men.” He spat blood to the side and smirked at her, running his eyes up and down her face. Caius could not see her face from where he was, but her body locked up.

“…that raid was an assassination?” He chuckled, starting out lowly before gaining in volume. Just as Caius was about to intervene, Blake’s hand struck out to reach around his throat as she moved in close.

Caius growled lowly, eyes narrowing as her body got closer to the filth.

His growl ceased when she fired the gun into his knee. The man yelled out, grinding his teeth together as he slammed his head back.

“No, it wasn’t. Because if it was, you would’ve been cleaner about it. You would have _made sure_ there were no survivors.”

He huffed, glaring at her. And Caius was so happy at seeing his beautiful little Swan just scoff and slam his head back against the wall by his throat.

“Be honest with yourself, you turned one of the scouts and got him to deliver false information. You wanted to send a message.” Blake gasped, head dropping down.

Caius appeared by her in an instant, holding her up. Her heart sped up even more than it had been. He frantically scanned her face, but she opened her eyes and blinked up at him.

“I’m okay.” He didn’t stop scanning over her for any form of injury. “Caius,” her hand caught his wrist that was holding her up. “It was a vision, I’m fine.” He nodded once. After he determined she was indeed fine, he moved back to his spot behind her. She cracked her neck-once again getting Caius’ nerves to jump.

“that’s exactly what you did. You wanted our specific team gone because we were too good. You thought we were doing your job, cleaning up the competition, and you weren’t about to let the credit go to the _American puppets._ Don’t even bother trying to argue that, I’ve seen the conversation. And that’s the only time I’ve ever been able to do that,” Her voice was contemplative, and she turned her head to connect eyes with him.

“I think having a view of someone may affect how my gift works.” She frowned, shaking her head. “We can discuss that later.” She turned back to the scum in front of her.

“Master.” Caius turned his head towards Aleksei but kept his eyes on his mate. He nodded once, only perceptible to one of his kind. “Were you expecting this?”

“No.” That was all he was going to say on the matter.

He watched as Blake’s body language changed and she slammed her padded hand against his face several times before she growled. He quirked a brow. She wasn’t even one of him yet and she was already behaving a sorta like one. She stuck out her hand towards him and he immediately was there to grab it. She looked up with a smirk on her face. She moved him around her and he crouched next to her. She pushed his open palm against the man’s thigh.

“I think he should experience some more of the pain he put me through.” Her eyes cut to the man before looking back at him through her bloody eyelashes. Caius purred and her eyes lightened a little bit. She pressed his hand firmer against the man’s thigh and he nodded. He did not look away from her as he applied little pressure for the thick bone to crumble.

The man’s scream of agony did nothing to him and he watched, fascinated, as Blake only blinked. She did not take her eyes off of him. She moved his hand up to the man’s hip. He smirked and pressed against it, feeling the bone give to his strength.

She sighed and grasped his hand in hers. He moved closer, purring as she looked up with him.

“Aleksei. Offer.” He knew Blake could tell he said something but had no idea what he said. Aleksei appeared on Blake’s other side which had Caius glaring at him. Instinctual. _Do not let any male touch your mate._ But this was Aleksei and he was following his own order.

Blake furrowed her brow and turned.

* * *

Blake felt another vampire’s presence and turned, keeping Caius’s hand tight in hers. Aleksei was standing there, eyes on the ground, hands raised toward the leader.

“May I?” She furrowed her brows and Caius moved closer to talk in her ear.

“He has a gift. It will cause this man great pain.”

“Yeah, come on.” Aleksei knelt next to her and grabbed one of the guy’s hands. Black veins appeared on Aleksei’s hand, a stark contrast to his pale white skin. The leader screamed immediately as the veins in hand began turning black.

Blake winced, his scream was high pitched and echoing through her skull. She took her free hand and covered his mouth, slamming his skull against the metal wall, glaring straight into his unfocused eyes. His scream was making her hand vibrate, and she was _loving it._

This was the man responsible for taking Nick and her team from her. Not her. She did nothing wrong. This man was the one who did it. She played no part in the deaths of her _family._

What was happening here today was because of him.

“You brought this on yourself,” she hissed, fingers digging into his filthy skin. Aleksei moved away and the man sagged. She released his mouth and Caius’ hand. She stood up, slamming her knee into his face. He grunted, falling onto his side. She kicked his abdomen a couple of times, hearing the satisfying crack of bone before she straddled him and slammed her fist against his face.

Once. Twice.

His cheekbone splintered.

Three times. Five. Ten…fifteen.

She screamed all of the anger against him fueled into it. She hit him again. And again. She didn’t even register the blood splashing onto her face.

“…dead. _Mio cara,”_ Blake felt like she missed some of that sentence, before Caius was pressed against her back, chin resting on her shoulder, hands catching hers and freeing her other one from the death grip she had on the man’s shirt. “he is well and truly dead, _mio cara,”_ his voice was smooth, calm. Familiar. She blinked and looked down. The man’s face no longer looked anything like a face. She huffed, leaning against Caius’ chest. Her chest heaved with each breath; her chest was starting to ache. She turned her head at the rest of them.

“Do you have the box?” The box was placed in front of her. She opened it and pulled out the charges. Four pairs of hands were immediately reaching for them. She went to protest but Caius purred delightedly against her throat.

“They know how to operate explosives. Come on, let’s get you clear of the zone.” She nodded and turned around, sliding her arms around his neck. He lifted her effortlessly and carrier her out of her crime zone. He appeared on the top of the ridge when she pressed against him. “What is it? Are you injured?” She shook her and nodded towards the building.

“The kid wasn’t in there.”

“You cannot save everyone.” They were quiet for a moment before Blake tried to get down. Caius let her and only watched her. She rolled her eyes and sat down, handing her feet off the edge, sighing at the pain that shot up her back. She pat the space next to her.

“I want to watch it blow.” He appeared next to her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a firm and comforting squeeze.

She felt the vampire presence decrease and knew they were out. It wouldn’t be long now. She flinched when the explosions went off, it was a reaction, but she didn’t take her eyes off of the flaming building. She felt at peace with what she had just done.

And maybe that should scare her, because she probably should feel at least a little bad. But it didn’t.

Blake snorted, and pressed one hand against Caius’ chest. “This is one hell of a first date.” Caius chuckled and she erupted in a full laugh, shaking her head as she looked up at him. She sobered as her eyes met his dark ones. She leaned up and he quickly reciprocated as he pressed his lips against hers. She smirked against him, her hands making their way to his hair.

“We need to get back.” She groaned, leaning back after he spoke. “I have _every_ intention of continuing this once we are out of this _forsaken desert.”_ He ended in a hiss which had her laughing, nodding.

“Okay, yes, fair point. I already have an ungodly amount of sand in places that I hate sand being.” She stood as he did, and quirked a brow at his mischievous smirk.

“I could certainly help you remove all of that sand.” He leaned close, cold lips touching her ear. “Grain by grain. All over.” She shivered and moved back before she got too effected by him.

“mmhm, sure. Let’s get to the hotel first and then we can discuss it-eek!” She was in his arms and he was running before she could even actually finish that sentence. She laughed into his chest, wrapping her arms tight around him.

Back in the hotel room, he had her sitting on the desk, standing between her legs. She raised a brow.

“I am not having sex with you in a hotel in the middle of a war zone.” His eyes darkened, but he did not look disappointed. He was also not saying anything, just looking at her. “What?”

“I may be able to help clean you off, if you’d like me to.” By the very not-so-innocent glint in his eyes, she figured there was more to it than just that. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall across from her, and moved to see herself around Caius’ frame.

Oh.

_Ohh._

Her face was _covered_ in blood.

“You don’t mean you want to…lick me, do you?” She asked as she looked back at Caius. He raised a brow. She shook her, smiling. “That’s like, really gross you know.”

“I have a very different opinion on the matter.”

“Hmm, I can tell.” She pushed herself up to catch his lips in another freezing kiss. When she needed to breathe, he moved without pause to kiss and suck on her jawline. The fact that he was kissing her skin while also cleaning it of blood should have probably disgusted her, but it sent a shiver through her.

She pulled him back up, he obviously went willingly and connected their lips again. She pressed against incessantly. Her hands bunched up his overcoat, and she had every intention of ridding him of it before his phone started ringing.

She whined, pressing her forehead against his shoulder as she tried to quickly catch her breath.

“I can ignore it,” he muttered against her neck.

“it might be important.” He hissed, turning to cross the room and snatched up his phone. Blake relaxed back and watched how utterly disheveled he looked.

It should be illegal for someone to look so good with messed up, bloody hair and blood streaks across his neck and lips.

Heat shot through her knowing that _she_ put all that blood there.

Caius answered the phone with a growl as he watched her. She raised her head, waving her fingers at him. He narrowed his eyes on her. He responded to the other caller a couple times before hanging up. The next second, his freezing hands were on her hips, as she was now on the bathroom counter. He ran a cloth under the water before gently cleaning her face clean.

“We must return to Volterra, Aro has been restless since daylight.”

“You talked to him earlier?” he nodded.

“It is procedure to check in on missions. Ours may have been unauthorized by him, but there was no possibility of him _not_ calling to check on you.” She nodded thoughtfully as he finished cleaning her face off. He looked at the rest of her. “You are still covered in blood, but it should be fine. You are not bleeding beside the injection point, and I am fairly certain that has already clotted. The rest covers your own scent, therefor Aro probably will not remove my head from the shoulder when we return.” He gently caressed her face.

“I am _so proud of you,_ Blake.” Her eyes filled with tears as she held onto his wrist. “You moved to beautifully, executed your mission with the utmost precision. I am so impressed.” She gave him a tearful smile as she bit her lip.

She hadn’t realized it, but she had really wanted his approval. She went to him when she figured out who took everything from her. She knew he was the most violent out of the three kings. She also knew he was the least likely to fight her on this.

Aro would be too caught up in her emotions and pain, Marcus would be worried about repercussions, but Caius would want her to express that anger.

And she knew he enjoyed watching her do it, too.

She enjoyed having him there as well.

They shared a very chaste but passionate kiss before he sped around the room gathering all her stuff. She sagged against the wall, thoroughly exhausted and her body starting to throb.

She didn’t even make it to the plane before she was out.

* * *

When the plane landed, Caius gently scooped her off the bed. He had been concerned when she passed out in his arms during his run, but had been assured by his guard, and then a phone call with Anatoly before he relaxed. He did not move from his spot next to her on the bed for the entire two-hour flight.

He did not even bother with answering his guards’ queries about their next orders, nor to reprimand them for joking around in the cabin. The only time he talked was when he called Felix to confirm their landing time.

Two vehicles were waiting for them at the airport. The ride was short, it always was with one of their kind driving. But for Caius, it was too short. Because the moment they arrived in Volterra, it would be the end of his time alone with Blake.

He had seen her in a way on this trip he did not know she would ever have. He knew she was stubborn, and brave and had a suspicion she was a soldier from the moment they first met, but nothing had pointed to her being capable of everything she had done.

But he _loved_ it.

Perhaps she would adjust quite well to immortality.

Just the reminder that she had announced of her planned immortality was enough for him to gently lean against her and bury his face in her shoulder and purr. She smelled of other men, but she smelled of their blood. The blood of her victims. _Her victims!_

When they arrived back at the castle, he picked her up gently and she stirred. He continued his purring as he pressed a gentle kiss to her warm head. He debated whether or not she would rather wake up in her own bed, before deciding it was better not to risk it considering her clothes were still caked in blood and the scent of it clung to her.

He tucked her into the bed in Aro’s room and made sure she was settled before she left the quarters. After stationing Afton and Aleksei outside of Aro’s quarters, with a stern, ‘ _behave’_ directed at them, he left to go find his brothers.

As soon as he walked into Marcus’ study, both of them were on their feet. Aro already walking towards him with a hand outstretched which he glared at.

“Absolutely not. Not until she shows you herself.” Aro glared at him but Marcus touched his shoulder and he turned around with a quiet growl.

“Is she alright?”

“She is asleep in Aro’s room. Fell asleep before we boarded the airplane.”

“But is she _alright?”_ At Caius’ glare, Aro rolled his eyes before bringing his hands up to touch his temples. “How is she dealing with it?”

“She is fine, Aro. She is stronger than you are obviously giving her credit for.”

“I am concerned for her mental health, Caius. I am aware of how strong she is, more than you. This little field trip of yours will never negate the fact that I will always know her better and more intimately than you ever will. It is not that I did not want her to go, I wanted her to get the vengeance she so desperately deserves, but not if it would fracture her mental state.”

“She’s fine,” Caius growled, eyes narrowing in on his eccentric brother. “Do not touch me until she shows you herself. And stay away from my guard, as well.” With that, Caius stormed from the room, leaving behind his two brothers.


	35. Chapter 35

Blake woke up with a groan, her whole body was aching. She groggily opened her eyes and snuggled deeper into the covers, glaring at the light that dared interrupt her sleep. She closed her eyes for a second before snapping them opening and turning.

All three of her kings were sitting on the couches, looking directly at her. She blinked a couple of times before looking around and realizing she was in Aro’s room. She blushed when thinking that Caius had carried her here.

She flopped down with a huff.

“I’m still sleepy. Sleep more,” she grumbled, reaching out blindly before her hand caught a pillow which she snatched up and shoved her head. She tried to go back to sleep, but she was alright awake, so she sat up with a huff which turned to a groan as her entire body locked up. “ _fuck.”_

“Are you alright, darling?” Marcus asked. Blake gave a sleepy smile as she turned her head towards where he and the other two were standing next to the bed. She nodded, cracking her neck, and immediately groaned.

“Just feel like I’ve slept for a week.”

“Just twenty-three hours.” She looked up in alarm. “We had Anatoly come look at you but he said your vitals were fine, so we let you sleep,” Aro explained, voice flat. She furrowed her brows, looking down at her hands as she chewed on her lip.

“Are you mad at me?” She whispered.

“I just want to make sure you are alright.” She snapped her head up, squaring her shoulders as she narrowed her eyes.

“That wasn’t an answer, and you have no right to judge me when you kill too.” With that, she slammed the covers back and she went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Her skin was violently protesting, being pulled at. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

She was covered in blood, and that meant she was covered in _dried_ blood which meant it was going to hurt like a bitch to get off. She was glad her vest was taken off because that would definitely not be great with her body already hurting like hell.

Adrenaline was a lifesaver, but it was also a bitch after it wears off.

She had never showered in Aro’s bathroom but turned and cut the water on before pulling and detaching her clothes from her body, hissing as the dried blood pulled on skin and any hairs it may have dried to.

She flexed her hands and was glad she could still move them. It was painful, and her hands were blooming with purples, greens, and yellows. Her busted knuckles from the punching bag had turned to an almost concerning shade of bruising. She stretched and groaned before stepping under the hot water.

She was careful around her incision sights, seeing as they weren’t healed all the way, but they were not exactly opened wounds, so she was not concerned with the fact that they’d gotten dirty even past their bandages.

Her fingers traced over her ugly scars and she bit her lip, shaking her head, before continuing to scrub the crusty blood off of her body and tried to rake it out of her gently before giving up and going through it more thorough.

She got out and snatched up a black towel and wrapped herself in it before walking out of the bathroom, and stopped short. There was a tray on the bed (which was covered with new sheets), full of some of her favorite breakfast foods, candles lit around the room, and flower petals scattered across the entire room. The three of them were standing on the other side of the bed, where they were when she went to the shower in the first place.

“…what’s all this?”

“Breakfast.”

“I see that, but why?” She tightened her grip on her towel, feeling a lot more exposed.

“We wanted to treat you and you haven’t eaten in a while,” Aro said, his tone much more relaxed than earlier. She awkwardly walked into his closet and blinked in surprise at seeing some of her clothes in there. She quickly pulled on some clothes and slowly walked out, slightly wincing.

She got back in the bed, and the tray was placed across her lap. She began eating in the very awkward silence before she finally sighed, putting down her fork. She looked up to see Aro and Marcus watching her like a hawk while Caius was looking across the room, a small smirk on his face.

“Alright, out with it. What’s up?” Neither of the two in question answered, but Caius did look at her and butterflies erupted in her chest.

“They are worried about you. They seem to think you might be mentally unstable now.” Aro and Marcus both glared at him, while she glared at them. She pushed the tray back and stood up, getting right in front of them.

“I’m _fine._ I’ve killed before-”

“Not on a revenge mission, acting on your own, or without them.”

“Do _not_ interrupt me right now, Aro. I’m glad that you care about me, but there is nothing to be worried about. I am completely fine. There was not a second out there that I thought what I was doing was wrong.”

“Are you sure?” She glared at him, before looking between him and the other two.

“Guess fate knew to tie me to you three because it knew I can handle some darkness. Now, excuse me, I’d like to go back to my room.” Caius moved aside and she walked past him, going straight out the hall. Aleksei and Afton looked up, though Aleksei’s eyes remained on the ground.

She limped through the hall to her room and collapsed into her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She was fine.

She did nothing wrong. Nothing.

Right?

The next day Anatoly collected her for both an examination and more therapy. She started off with stretches and exercises before they migrated to her dancing with Demetri.

They did a lot less than normal, which she was thankful for: everything hurt. When Demetri had to leave for a trial, she sat down in a chair and peered curiously at Anatoly.

The way his eyes were shaped, the peculiar purplish-black of his hair, certain stern facial expressions he made when he was working-

“Do you know Aleksei?” He paused but did not look up from the chart.

“Of course, he is a member of Master Caius’ personal guard.” He had an edge to his voice she had never heard from him. His eyes also darkened when she mentioned him.

“You not like him or something?” He straightened up, keeping his eyes on the paper.

“Are you ordering me to answer that?” She spluttered and quickly shook her head.

“I don’t give orders?” He nodded once and then turned, heading out the door.

“I shall send Afton to collect you.” And then he was gone. She was alone in the castle for the first time. All at once the sense of danger around her increased to be almost suffocating. She shook her head before her instincts took over and she dove out of her chair into a corner, her back pressed firmly against it, her knees up to her chest, eyes running cautiously across the room.

Something very bad was about to happen. She could feel it.

Her ears picked up a distant noise and flinched. The danger increased and her breath caught.

She held it, remaining as still as she possibly could. Her skin was crawling, trying to get her to listen and to move, but she knew it would be no good. Whatever the threat was, she could feel it getting closer and closer to her.

The far doors busted opened and she flinched. A ferocious growl echoed throughout the room as she locked eyes with some very dark eyes of a vampire she didn’t recognize. He tensed before blurring towards her.

He stopped suddenly and the danger decreased tenfold. She heaved, breath coming out in quick pants. He was stopped, mid-stride, one clawed hand outstretched towards her, one foot not on the ground, eyes unmoving.

It was like he was frozen.

“Mistress.” She turned her eyes to Octavian who was coming around the unknown vampire. “Are you alright?” She jerkily nodded but said yes when she realized he was not looking at her, instead his eyes were narrowed on the vampire. He came to her and crouched protectively right in front of her, almost close enough to touch her knees with his back.

“I will stay here until Master gets here; he is almost here.” Once he said that she could indeed feel the rapidly approaching presence of him and the other kings. She sighed, and realized she was boxed in, between the two walls and the protective guard in front of her, she would not be visible to anyone in the room.

“Did you do that to him?” He nodded once.

Three harmonized and furious growls sounded through the room before the tearing or stone pierced her ears. At once, Octavian was gone and the three kings were in his place, just a little further back so they could all fit side by side. Their eyes were much darker in the sense of they looked positively frightening as they looked over her. She scooted closer to them, and at once they were all pressed against her, purring into her skin. She wrapped her arms around them and shook as the weight of the amount of danger she was actually in hit her.

“You are alright, _mio cara.”_ They each murmured calming words, most not in English, but calming, nonetheless. An hour later, she was back in her room, much calmer than she was, while Aro left with dark mutterings. No idea what he said, but the other two seemed to be in agreement.

They had not wanted to leave her, but still had many trials to do. Even though Blake said she was fine, they were very hesitant to leave her.

They compromised: they go back to work, but Afton, Renata, and all five of Caius’ personal guard that went on her mission to stay right outside her door.

She was fine, for a little bit, before she heard something out her door, and the images from her raid started filtering through her head again.

“No, no, no.” She whined; palms pressed against her eyes. She shook her head trying to get them out, a quiet cry leaving her lips.

“Please go get Aro.” She felt some of the vampiric presence diminish as she sunk to the ground, back pressed against the wall. When she felt his presence, she threw herself forward blindly, and he caught her immediately, holding her firmly against his cold chest.

He shushed her, gently cradling her to him, before backing up so he sat on the bed and she was sitting on his lap, knees pressed on either side of his hips. She cried, clutching his coat and crest in her hands, face pressed firmly into his shoulder. He started humming some song, sounded very old, as he gently swayed them.

“I thought it’d get better,” She cried. “they’re dead. It should be better.” He hummed, flexing his grip against her. “I still see their last moments. Fuck!”

“Whose?” he asked quietly.

“Nick’s, Jay’s, all of them.” He nodded.

“Blake, you still have PTSD, that will not just go away because the one’s who took them from you are dead. You know this.” She knew she did but that did not stop her from sobbing, shaking her head to try to clear her head.

They stayed like that, even after her mind calmed down and she stopped crying. Just gently swaying to Aro’s humming.

“I was not judging you, Blake. And I am not mad at you. I just worry about you. I know you are strong, but I also know this must be taking a toll on you, you are used to doing things are a certain way.”

“…I did it completely different than how I would have if it was an official mission. I wanted him to suffer. Have you seen it?” He shook his head and she pulled back to look at him. He gazed into her eyes with a gentle look.

“Caius refused to show me until you do.” She thought for a second before reaching behind her to grab one of his hands and pulled it so it was between them. She looked down, taking the glove off of his hand, taking a deep breath. “You do not have to show me until you are ready.”

“I know.” She smiled, before grasping his freezing hand in hers. His eyes dilated as he watched everything that he had access to. She watched his eyes make almost imperceptible changes.

“Blake…” he pulled her back into a hug, not letting go of her hand. “I am truly glad you got to take your vengeance on the pathetic excuse of men who did that to you.”

“So you don’t think differently of me?” She knew he caught her actual fear.

“Blake, I could never think down of you. Even if you decide tomorrow you wanted to eradicate an entire portion of the globe, I will _never_ think of you as bad. What you did was nothing compared to what I have done. I have no quarrels with my actions, and I never will with any of yours.” She stared into his eyes for a long second, before nodding, feeling better.

“And for what we are, we are mates.” She laughed, throwing her head back.

“Yes, but are we _dating?”_

“We have gone on a date. While your terms are modern, they are your own. You can call us anything you’d like.”

“Oh, so, you’re my boyfriend?” She quirked a brow and he blinked slowly, looking at her with an opened mouth grin.

“I’d like to be, but I understand that you are still angry.”

“…let’s go back to that street alley and then you can be my boyfriend.” She giggled when he nodded, tightening his cold grip on her hand and leaned in to press his forehead against hers.

“I think I can arrange that.”

He stayed with her, which she was very grateful for, she was still very jittery, and they ended up lounging around her room. She kept her hand in his.

She knew he was very ecstatic about it and reminded him it did not give him free rein which he merely nodded at, before pulling her back to lay on his chest, their hands intertwined.

She was thinking about how she hadn’t really met most of the guard and he sat up, holding her gently against his chest.

“Of course, how thoughtless of me. You need to be introduced.” She went to disagree, but he was already speaking to the guards in the hall. She glowered at him.

“that was just a fleeting thought, not a desire to meet them all.”

“Have you seen any of them in your dreams before coming here?” She nodded.

“Jane, Felix, Heidi, and Renata. Most of them I had just heard their names, though.” He nodded thoughtfully, eyes alight with excitement as he ran his eyes over her face and flickered them down to where their hands were touching. He brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles.

Heat shot through her and he smirked, eyes glittering mischievously as she scoffed. “If I may be so bold…” She quirked a brow, trying to figure out where this was going. “If you ever want help with some…private shower time, I’d be happy to oblige,” His voice was deeper and her mouth dropped open as her face heat up.

“Aro!” she lightly smacked his chest with her free hand, and he laughed, bringing her into a hug. She laughed, shaking her head.

“Come along, you really do need to meet the guard.” He pulled back and adjusted her crest, making sure it wasn’t crooked. She smiled watching him so serious as he adjusted it.

He scooped her up in his arms and walked out of her room. Afton and Renata were left standing there kind of awkward as Caius’ guard immediately surrounded Aro and Blake in the same formation as before. Aro looked slightly uncomfortable before his face schooled to his usual friendly and inviting look.

They were in the library, Caius, and Marcus already there. She was placed on her feet, and she immediately latched back onto his hand. Which is something the other two noticed. She gave a small shrug and Caius simply scoffed.

Blake was placed behind Aro, Caius standing so close to him that their shoulders touched, as he also blocked her from view. Marcus was standing with her, his hand in hers, Aro having let go. He gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.

She felt the danger of vampires strongly increase at a steady pace and she flinched, tightening her grip on Marcus’ hand. When the library doors opened, she pulled on Marcus’ hand and he stepped closer, pressing her into his side.

“You all aware that we have found our mate and that she has been residing here in our home. Some of you have met her, the rest of you are to meet her now.”

“Do not forget your place,” Caius added with a growl. Slowly, Aro and Caius moved aside, and Blake swallowed as she came face to face with eight vampires plus the five of Caius’ guard which was positioned around her and her partners.

The two childlike faces of whom she knew were Jane and Alec were in the front, their dark-colored cloaks snug on their shoulders.

A step behind them, with lighter cloaks, on either side of the twins, were Demetri, Felix, and Renata.

Behind them, again on either side, with yet again lighter cloaks was Afton and a woman and man she didn’t recognize.

Aro called each one by name, and they would lift their head, nod at her, before looking back at the ground. The two she did not know turned out to be Heidi and Santiago.

She furrowed her brow. “two are missing.” She blinked, not realizing how she knew that.

Aro turned to her with a quirked brow and an ecstatic smile. “Yes, Corin and Chelsea are…on a mission.” She narrowed her eyes on him, letting him know that lie did not get past her but she wasn’t going to question it.

“This is the guard. There are many other members of our coven, but it is not necessary for you to meet them so soon,” Marcus added. Blake tried to suppress a smirk at seeing several of them look confused for a second. She knew it was because up until she came around, he did not really talk.

Shortly after, the guard was dismissed only Afton, Renata, and the five remaining. Blake reached over and surged Aro’s hand in her own. He turned his excited eyes to her as he gently cradled her hand in both of his.

“Corin and Chelsea were absent because I do not wish for you to think I would use their gifts on you.” She had no idea what gifts they had. “Corin I kept away more so because her gift is addictive contentment. I kept her away for one, because you do not need artificial contentment, but mostly because it’s addictive to our kind and I am not sure what would happen if you got a taste for it still mortal. Chelsea’s gift is relationship manipulation.” Aro must have either sensed the alarm on her face or caught the quickly forming pit forming in her thoughts because he quickly shook his head.

“She cannot form bonds out of nothing, nor can she destroy them. Just test the strength and alter, and we would never allow her to use it on you, and so I kept her away so you did not think I was allowing her to use it on you.” She squeezed his hands.

“I’m still pissed you dragged me out here for that at this particular moment.” He smiled joyfully and gave her knuckles a kiss.

“Would you give me permission to see from Caius’ perspective?” She knew he immediately was talking about how Caius refused to show Aro what had happened. She nodded. He gave her a dazzling smile before moving quite joyfully over to Caius who was looking at him with barely concealed annoyance.

Blake laughed as Aro practically jumped up and down waiting for Caius to give him his hand. She grabbed hold of Marcus’ hand and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, so she latched onto his other hand, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Caius finally lifted his hand and Aro’s hands shot forward with a blur and captured it, eagerly bending his head over their clasped hands. Blake felt her nerves go up, sure she had shown Aro already, but she had no idea how she actually looked doing anything or what had gone through Caius’ head as he watched.

She knew they’d never think badly of her for it, it would be beyond hypocritical if they did, but that did little to ease her nerves. But then Aro let out a little sound that seemed to be a mixture of a laugh and a squeal. He turned back to her with wide eyes and a broad smile which showed off his teeth.

“Oh, you were beautiful like that, little Swan.”

“like what…you mean covered in blood, don’t you?” she deadpanned and by the glint that seemed to take over his eyes, she knew that’s exactly what he meant. “Yeah, well.” She shrugged, tightening her grip on Marcus’ hand. Caius allowed Aro to look into his guard’s minds as well when Aro asked. He quickly went through all of them before coming back over to her, dropping to a knee in front of her and Marcus, taking her free hand.

“Oh, I am so glad you got to accomplish what you wanted. And that I got to see it through, Caius.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles and looked at her through his eyelashes. He knew damn well how much she liked that, and she rolled her eyes when he winked.

She was not affected by that. Nope, Not her. 

After leaving the room, giving Caius a quick kiss, and Marcus a hug, Aro took her back to the street alley. She had fun all night, and never let go of his hand.

When they got back, he put her in his bed- still covered in flower petals, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sweet dreams, _piccola.”_


	36. Chapter 36

The next day, after breakfast, she was collected by Demetri who took her to their designated dance room and they began dancing.

“Where’s Anatoly?”

“…you do not know?” She shook her head, looking up at him. He looked away from her, back to her feet, and instead commented on her footwork.

“I know my footwork sucks, I’m not a good dancer, and still can’t move one of my legs very well. Now, why are you avoiding my question?”

“I really cannot say.”

“I thought I outranked you.” He scowled at her and she smirked, before wincing at a step backward that sent a fiery pain crawling up her back. He stopped, and had her sit down, while he gently prodded the area.

“Anatoly is otherwise preoccupied. If you would like a more detailed explanation, you will have to ask the Masters.” She scoffed and immediately groaned when he hit a particularly painful spot. “I do believe we can stop for the day, especially since you came in yesterday. Your guard is outside.” He helped her stand and led her to the door. Outside, Afton, Renata, and Martin were standing in a line.

After yesterday, they did not want to leave her unattended again.

“Hey, Martin, you know where Anatoly is?”

“In a cell in the dungeons,” He responded with an upbeat tone. She almost stuck her tongue out at Demetri before the words clicked in her head and she gaped at him.

“The fuck is he doing in a cell?”

“He neglected his duty to you yesterday and it put you in danger. He’s being punished.” She turned to Demetri who was glaring at Martin.

“Where are they?”

“The dungeons are off limi-”

“I don’t want to go to the dungeons, I want to know where my partners are.”

That was how she found herself sitting in Aro’s office, arms crossed as she glared at Aro.

“Darling, if you would tell us what is bothering you, we may be able to help.” She cut her eyes to Marcus for a second before moving back to glare at Aro.

“Why the hell is Anatoly locked up and why didn’t you tell me last night?” Aro’s hesitant smile fell.

“He endangered you,” Caius started, and she turned to glare at him.

“All he did was leave the room!”

“You are not to be left alone,” he hissed. “Especially not during a trial. And he had knowledge of it all, and he left you.”

“Oh, my fucking god, sometimes you guys seem utterly ridiculous. You know what, you didn’t kill Athenodora because I asked, so if I ask Anatoly to be released, will you?” He glowered at her and she matched his stare.

“He is only in there for another night, _piccola,_ he will be released at sunrise tomorrow.” She huffed, looking down at the ground.

“I don’t appreciate people being punished because of me.”

“It was not because of you; it was because he did not abide by his responsibilities. He knew the risk. Blake, if Octavian hadn’t gotten to you-” Aro shook his head, eyes becoming teary. “We cannot lose you; do you understand me? And we came close to doing so yesterday.”

She sighed, running her hands down her face.

“I saw what Octavian saw, Blake. You were so close to being _gone,”_ he choked on the word. “If he had been a small fraction of a second slower, you would have been.”

“So, punish the guy who tried to take a bite out of me, not Anatoly.”

“Blake, his punishment is final.” His tone was commanding, and she snapped her mouth shut with a click.

“Then I guess my time here is done.” She stood up and made it all of one limp before Caius was directly in front of her.

“You cannot be angry with us for trying to protect you.”

“Yeah, sure. Okay? I’d just like to go lay down for a little bit, I’m tired, I’m in pain, and I’m feeling bad because someone who had only tried to help me is locked up right now.” She moved to the side and limped across the hall, flopping onto Aro’s bed.

She didn’t look at Marcus as he came in, just took a deep breath as the energy of the room changed. He came to stand by the bed, and she held out her hand. His freezing hand gently took hers.

“We do not mean to upset you, but this is the way of our world.” She cut her eyes to him and immediately looked away at seeing his expression. He looked so distressed, and she was _done_ crying.

“…I know.”

“I understand this is an adjustment for you. Our world is very different than yours.”

“He didn’t tell me.”

“He did not want to ruin your night.” She turned to him and lifted one eyebrow. She pulled on his hand and he allowed himself to be moved and climbed onto the bed with her. She leaned against his side, pressing a finger to his cheek.

“Please don’t be sad. I’ve seen you sad enough for a lifetime.” He gave her a very small smile, just the edges tilting up. “You know what?” She asked, sitting up, and turning completely towards him. His eyes brightened a fraction and he hummed. 

“I think we should go on a trip.”

“A trip?” He repeated and she nodded, smiling.

“Aro and I have gone on dates, Caius and I went on a… _trip_ , we have only gone to the library, which I like, don’t get me wrong, but, I think we should get out of here. At least once? I don’t know much about you and I’d really like to.” He looked at her for a long moment.

“Pack a bag.” Her eyebrows shot up.

“Really?” He nodded. “Where are we going?” His eyes narrowed playfully, and he tapped her nose.

“It shall be a surprise. Pack however many outfits you like. If needed, we can always buy some there.” Her excitement skyrocketed. She thought maybe, _maybe,_ he’d agree to a date, not a full-blown trip.

She went to get up, and he caught her wrist gently and gave her a look. “I thought you were tired.” She frowned pointing over her shoulder.

“But, pack-”

“Can be done in the morning. You need your rest.” She pouted but nodded. She laid next to him.

“Can you stay with me?” He nodded once after a long moment of staring at her. She shuffled under the covers and winced, hand going to rest on her hip. Marcus’ hand moved before halting.

“Can I help?” She nodded, and when he hesitated again, she took his hand and laid it gently over where it was seizing up. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, thankful that they wore so many layers. She could still feel his freezing temperature but bet it would be so much worse if they didn’t wear suits and cloaks and all that.

The next morning, she was practically jumping up and down as she packed her bag. Caius was sitting on her bed with a pout- he swore he was not pouting- as she did so. She came out with more clothes that she deposited in the bag and laughed at Caius.

“You _are_ pouting.”

“I do not _pout.”_

_“_ Okay, my mistake.” She chuckled, shaking her head. He was definitely pouting. “Why are you upset?” she asked, more sober. He quickly stood, placing his hands on her shoulders, and stared into her eyes with so much intensity that made her weak in her knees. Well-knee, the other one was constantly weak.

“I am not upset, _mio cara._ I am glad you are excited. I simply will miss you while you are away.” She smiled and gave a quiet ‘aww’.

“Who would have guessed you’re the sappy type.” He scowled and she quickly shook her head. “Okay, I take it back, please don’t stop. I really like it.”

In a flash, her back was pushed gently against a wall. Caius’s hands were on her thighs, her legs wrapped around his waist as his hips held hers firmly against the wall. She swallowed hard and met his dark eyes.

“I can think of some other things that you will _really_ like.” She opened her mouth to say something, but all thoughts were gone. He smirked, leaning in to press his lips against her ear. “Do you want me to continue?” His hips rolled into hers and she gasped, pulling his head back by his hair. He was looking at her with a cocky smirk, but she really did not care at the moment as she surged forward to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.

He purred against her, mouth pressing firmly against hers. Her head hit the wall and he pulled back with an apology, but she shook her head, pulling him back to her.

She did not notice the change of energy in the room, but certainly heard the clearing of a throat. She pulled away from Caius with wide eyes, looking over his shoulder at where Aro and Marcus were.

Aro was very visibly amused, dark eyes trained on her.

Blake’s face was burning with embarrassment. Caius simply leaned his forehead against her shoulder with a quiet growl. She looked between the two of them, but neither looked jealous or like she was doing something bad, which helped get rid of the pit that had formed in her chest.

“Brother, I do believe our dear Blake is supposed to be packing.”

“She became distracted.” Blake snorted, shaking her head, burying her face in his neck.

“oops?” He quietly chuckled and gently lowered her legs to the ground. She stabilized herself, hands braced on his shoulders. He stepped back and she looked up into his dark eyes. Her heart fluttered. “Well…that was fun.” He snorted, shaking his head.

“That was only the beginning, _mio cara._ ” She shivered and bit her lip, pushing against his chest.

“My god, you can’t just _say_ things like that.”

“I have every intention of following through with a demonstration.” Her breath caught in her throat. All at once, he stepped back, eyes going back to their usual look around her, still intense, but less like he wanted to throw her into bed. “Whenever you are ready, of course.” She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall.

“God, I need to cool off.” She shook her head and walked back over to her suitcase, shooting a look at Caius. She turned her eyes to Marcus and Aro kinda hesitantly, but they didn’t look to be the slightest bit bothered.

“Are you almost ready, little Swan?” Aro asked. She nodded and snapped her suitcase shut, zipping it.

“You know where we are going, don’t you?” He smiled brightly and she scowled. “Naturally. I wanna know.”

“The surprise is worth it, _mio cara._ ” She turned to Caius and then looked back to Marcus.

“Does everyone know where we are going but me?”

“Only those need to know.” She hmphed and rolled her eyes.

“Okay, fine. How long will we be gone?” they merely just exchanged looks with each other. Demetri came in and after confirming she was done packing, took her suitcase. She kept her backpack that had her sketchbooks in it.

She squealed when Caius picked her up, and laughed, shaking her head as he took off running. Once in the garage, he did not let go of her, simply purring against her. She giggled, leaning up to give him a kiss. He purred delightedly and growled when she pulled away.

“Put me down, vampire boy.” He scowled.

“Is that really how you want to part with me for an unknown amount of time?”

“Ugh! Aro! Save me.” Caius rolled his eyes but put her down. She laughed, catching his freezing hands in her warm ones. “of course not.” She reached up, going on her toes to press a firm kiss on him. He had a smile on his face when she pulled back.

She turned and was immediately swept into a hug by Aro. She laughed, shaking her head.

“You two are acting like you aren’t going to see me for years.”

“Every moment without you is an eternity in the pits of hell, _mio_ _bellisima amore.”_ She gave him a smile, before pulling him back in for another hug.

“I really like it when you guys speak different languages like _that._ I’ve had more than enough dreams of listening to y’all talk for _hours_ in languages I don’t know and have just about lost my mind doing so.” He chuckled, pulling away from her and motioning to Marcus. She smiled wide, sticking her hand out. He took it and said something to his brothers it Italian, which she immediately playfully scowled at. He shook his head, before pulling her over to the running car.

She waved excitedly to her two other boyfriends. They both waved back, Aro matching her excitement. Once in the car, she turned to Marcus. “Who’s going with us?”

“Just us, darling.”

“No guard?” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice and immediately blushed. “sorry.”

“Do not be. And you are correct, no guard. Just you and me.” She nodded, feeling her heart flutter at that, but also her anxiety build. She had not spent near as much time with him as she’d like to. And she really didn’t know much to anything about him.

They drove in peace while Blake was trying to calm her nerves about it, and just enjoy that she was going to get to finally get to know him. She kept doing a little bounce anytime she got too excited thinking of all the places they could be going.

Any time she caught herself, she would bite her lip and force herself to sit still, trying not to look like a complete idiot.

“Darling,” he said after she stopped again. She turned to him with a sheepish look. His hand came up to barely caress her jaw. “You need not hide your excitement from me.” She gave him a hesitant smile and nodded, relaxing at his calm demeanor and soft eyes. She turned the radio on and started bobbing her head to the music.

Couldn’t understand a single thing, but it had a good beat.

They arrived at the airport and Marcus had her on the plane before she could blink, probably because the sun was kinda shining. She opened her sketchbook and asked Marcus if she could draw him. He nodded, a gentle and caring look on his youthful face.

She enjoyed drawing him from life. He had always been so miserable in her dreams, giving him a much different appearance. Now, in life, his dark eyes were alight with renew interest, face always much calmer than the gloomy expression she was used to him having. He kept his gaze on her as she sketched, and she was reminded again on the unnatural behavior of the vampires, seeing as he never once even moved. Or blinked.

The flight was relatively short, just a little over an hour, and he led her out of the plane to an SUV. The weather here was very cloudy, the humidity clinging to her skin.

When he got in the driver’s side, she shot her hand out and grabbed his. She kept her eyes stubbornly through the windshield but could feel him looking at her. She smiled, cutting her eyes to him as he began driving.

“You going to tell me where we are yet?”

“Patience, darling, is a virtue.”

“I’ve never been very virtuous,” she joked, squeezing his hand. He shook his head slightly, looking at her with a hint of amusement before he turned back to the road. They drove on with her absentmindedly tracing patterns on the back of his hand. They eventually turned down a road that led into the woods. She figured she’d make a joke about being murdered in a cabin in the woods, but thought that he might take it seriously, so decided to hold it back.

After another thirty minutes of driving and several turns, the woods consistently getting thicker and thicker, Marcus turned to her and gently squeezed her hand causing her to look up.

“Can you do me a favor?” She raised her brows. “I would like for you to close your eyes. I wish to surprise you.” She gave him a weird look but nodded, leaning her head against the headrest and closing her eyes.

It felt like an eternity before the car started to slow down from its fast pace before coming to a stop. “Do not open your eyes yet.” She couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her lips. She felt him open her door and then his freezing touch was barely on her wrist. She turned towards him, carefully moving her legs out, hoping to not accidentally kick him. He grabbed her hands and helped her stand. She squeezed her eyes shut. Biting her lip in anticipation, she hesitantly allowed Marcus to lead her as she slowly moved blindly.

The steady crunch of gravel under her feet was comforting, which fought against the very uncomfortable feeling of knowing Marcus was moving right behind her, yet without making a sound. She knew it was because he was a vampire, but still.

They walked for several feet before Marcus gently stopped her. He stepped around her, his cloak sweeping her arm.

“Open your eyes darling.” She did and her mouth became unhinged.

They were standing on the driveway leading up to a three-story house, with lots of floor to ceiling windows, balconies facing them, stone pillars, and a pool off to the side. The entire place was surrounded by forest, and she would not be surprised if a bear was sitting just on the other side of the house. She turned her wide eyes to Marcus.

“Ready to go inside?” She slowly nodded, and he swooped her up into his arms and she was inside in a blink.

The house- okay, it was totally a mansion- was warm in comparison to the cool temperature outside, and it didn’t smell like that strange scent when houses are left empty too long and she was contemplating asking about why not before Marcus gently put her down on her feet.

“I am going to go get our luggage. Are you alright?” She nodded and he gave her a smile before blurring down a hall. She jumped up and went to go find a bathroom. When she came out, Marcus was sitting on one of the very expensive couches, a book in his hands. She paused, leaning against the wood-paneled wall.

She nervously scuffed her feet looking down at them.

“Darling,” She looked up, meeting his gaze. “You have nothing to be nervous of. I understand we have not spent much time together alone. If you wish to return to Volterra shortly, I understand.” She shook her head, limping over to him to sit next to him.

“No, I’m going to take every moment alone with you, and hopefully this awkwardness doesn’t last long at all. I really don’t want to be awkward around you.” He smiled and she nodded, before grabbing his hand in hers. “So…where are we?”

“A safe house in Germany.”

“Safehouse? What use of those do you have?”

“In the case of sending guard for assessing a situation or when we venture out of Volterra to visit other covens, we have places we can stay out of human view and away from the other coven, in case of discussing sensitive information.” She nodded. It made sense.

“What are you reading?”

“One of Aro’s journals of this area. I must admit, I have never been here before.”

“So, we get to learn all about this place together. That sounds like fun.” She nuzzled up to his side, and he let her, draping his arm over her shoulders. “Anything interesting in the journal?”

“Aro uses a lot of filler words and different ways to say the same thing. This is outdated by about twenty years. Human culture and architecture change quite a lot during that time, yes?” she nodded.

“is it in English?” He shook his head and she pouted playfully before smirking at him. “Guess you’ll just have to read it to me.” He raised a brow. “Later, not right now.” He nodded once, a small smile on his face. She watched as he flicked his eyes all over her face.

“What do you wish to do now?”

“It’s been a long drive, I think I just want to relax. Can you give me a tour of the house, though?” he nodded, and she ended up in his arms as he walked her through the mansion.

The first floor had an indoor hot tub which she was very suspicious of since it was supposed to be a safe house, but she wasn’t going to complain, a large sitting room, and what would have been a minibar if the vampires drank. Unfortunately for her, that meant no alcohol.

The second story had another very large living room, this one a sunken one, which she was super excited about and let out a little squeal when she saw it, a sparsely stocked kitchen- stocked the night before, just for her, she was informed- and a large room filled with books.

The third floor was filled with bedrooms that had no beds, only a few couches, and televisions. The fourth floor was actually just a large loft with the only bed in the whole house. It was the master, an attached ensuite on the opposite side from the windows. This room was cozy, wood-paneled except for the one wall with sliding glass doors which led out to the balcony. When Marcus placed her on her feet, she launched herself into the large bed and immediately sighed.

“it’s so soft!” She shouted, face down in the mattress. Marcus gently stroked the back of her head. She turned to him with a relaxed expression. He looked pretty happy, compared to how he normally was. He was about to say something when his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and glared down at it. She peered and saw Caius’s name. She held her hand out, a mischievous smile on her face. He raised his brows but gave it to her, a gentle smile on his face.

“Hey, vampire boy,” she greeted, barely not laughing. Caius had answered the phone saying something, but now there was a pause.

“Do not tempt me to come out there and get you.”

“Nope. You got your field trip. It’s Marcus’ turn.”

“Do I get a turn, little swan?” Aro’s voice cut in.

“You got two dates,” she said in lieu of an answer. “Maybe one day, if the infrastructure of the vampire world won’t collapse without you, all of us could go somewhere?” Aro hummed, and Blake sat up, pulling Marcus onto the bed next to her. He nuzzled his head against hers and she smiled.

“Perhaps one day we can make that a reality.”

“Sweet. I say Greece.”

“Are you aware of how sunny Greece is?”

“But it’s pretty, and I’ve never been. We can talk about it later. What’s up?”

“…Up? Blake-”

“We were calling to see how you were settling in,” Aro interrupted Caius.

“We’re doing great, just got here though. This is place is giant. Want to talk to Marcus?” Marcus playfully scowled at her. “Never mind, we’re busy. Call you tomorrow, okay bye.” She hung up without waiting for a response. She turned to Marcus.

“How pissed off are they going to be at that?”

“I’m sure it has already been forgiven.”

“how long did it take you and Aro to forgive us for leaving?”

“I never needed to forgive you, darling. I wanted you to go, I was only concerned with your safety. Aro sulked for several hours but was never angry at you. He and Caius have antagonized each other for millennia, and Aro no doubt saw that as another jest at him. He forgave Caius quickly because he was helping you. Even if that did include partial decapitation.”

“God.” She rubbed her eyes. “Didn’t think I’d ever hear a sentence containing the words ‘partial decapitation’ when talking about my boyfriend.” She smiled at him. “Are you sure?” He nodded once, and gently purred against her. “Okay.” She smirked at him. “so, what do you want to do.”

“Anything you do.”


	37. Chapter 37

Blake laughed as she flicked a piece of her breakfast at Marcus. He had just finished telling her an absolutely _hilarious_ story involving Caius and a very disgruntled parrot.

The night before, she had Marcus read the journal to her until she fell asleep. Today, after breakfast, she had managed to talk him into getting into the hot tub with her, which she was very excited about. Also, nervous, because he had never seen her scars before.

But right now, she was enjoying this very domestic moment with him; sitting at the bar, eating breakfast while he leaned against it dressed in a long sleeve button down and slacks-no cloak. Which is something she had smiled wide at when she came out of the bathroom after she woke up.

Marcus, like Aro, hid his very nice figure under too many clothes and billowy cloaks. He was lean, though had more muscled mass than Aro. His shirt clung to his frame, sleeves folded up to his elbows, very, _very_ aesthetically pleasing forearms braced against the counter. He looked so at ease as he smiled gently at her. A smile! A full one!

The entire time she was eating, she could tell he wanted to say something to her, but hadn’t so she waited after she was done eating, just looking at him. 

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” She asked, and by the way his eyes widened slightly, eyebrows going up, she figured he’d be blushing if he was human.

“I want to tell you about my wife.” She raised her brows. He took a deep breath, looking down, his eyes becoming more distant, his face morphing into the gloomy look she had not seen on him since actually meeting him. But she wouldn’t interrupt. She pushed her empty plate away and crossed her hands, making sure he knew he had her full attention.

“Her name was Didyme. She was Aro’s sister as well as my wife. I loved her so much. A rival coven, the Romanians took her from me. Ever since failing to protect her, I never thought I would have a mate- that I was even worthy of one.

“I fell into a deep depression after her death, which upon meeting you, has begun to lift. My gift allows for me to see bonds, of course, I knew she and I were not mates. That is the only bond that I have ever questioned if it was correct. We used to discuss how there could not possibly be anyone else for us.” A pang went through her chest, but she ignored it.

“When I saw our bonds for the first time, I was ecstatic, surprised mostly, but also I felt deeply guilty. As if I was somehow betraying my very dead wife. I no longer feel like that, let me assure you. Before you returned, Aro did spend a great deal of time convincing me that I did deserve to be happy. You are such an amazing person, Blake. You’ve been through so much in your human life, and that makes me want to destroy anything that dares to look at you wrong. Which is why I was not against you going with Caius. I was just worried. I lost a wife once; I cannot lose you.

“In the short time you have been with us, I have seen your bonds grow and strengthen. It has brought me much contentment, but you, you my darling. You have started to return happiness to my immortal and unrelenting existence. You are such a bright light and a breath of fresh air amongst the seemingly never-ending days of the monotonous existence I have led up to now. With you, it has been the first time I have smiled in over three thousand years.” Her eyes started to sting, and she quickly blinked. “I am so glad to have met you and that you have given me a chance.”

She stood up and he flashed around the counter to her. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her in a hug, rubbing her hands up and down his back. “I’m so sorry. That’s such a _long time_.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, darling.” His arms were wrapped firmly around her, and she sighed at the comfort she felt around him. Being without it had really made her jumpy. “It was indeed a long time. It is in the past, now. I hope we can create many more memories together.” She nodded, hugging him to her as tight as she possibly could.

“I’d like that.”

They ended up in the sunken living room, her latched onto his side, him not complaining in the slightest, just held her to him. She tried to get him to watch something with her, but realized quickly that he was watching her and not the tv at all. When she went to turn it off, he insisted she keep watching, that he was enjoying watching her react. She rolled her eyes, but did so, laying her head on his chest.

She popped up after about an hour and looked at him with a smile. “Hot tub.”

“Hot tub?”

“We should get in now.” He nodded once.

“Alright. Let us change.” She smiled and cheered, jumping up. He swept her up in his arms and took her up the stairs to the bedroom. She grabbed her bag and barricaded herself in the bathroom. “Would you like for me to wait and carry you down?”

“No, I’ll be fine. My leg doesn’t even really hurt today.” She felt his presence diminish and she let out a shaky breath, bracing herself against the counter. She didn’t bother trying to rummage through her bag: she knew she didn’t have a bathing suit.

Her heart started hammering in her chest as she pulled off her clothes. She dropped the last article into the pile and glared in the mirror at her scars. She trailed her fingers over them. She hissed at a particularly sensitive spot near her recent surgery. She took a deep breath, trying to steel her nerves.

“it’s alright. You can do this,” She whispered to herself before grabbing a large towel and wrapping it around her. She very carefully made her way down the many, _many_ stairs down back to the first floor. Her leg was putting a protest by the second flight, but she was determined.

By the time she got to the door, her heart had not stopped its attempt to thunder out of her heart.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

He was in the hot tub already, reclined against one of the walls. He looked up as she came in, and to his credit, his eyes didn’t go anywhere but her face.

“I brought us towels, you need not bring another.”

“I don’t have a swimsuit.” His eyebrows scrunched. “Would you mind if I got in naked?” His mouth fell open just a little bit, eyes darkening. He very slowly shook his head. “You…” She looked down at her feet. “You know I have scars, right?”

“Darling.” She jumped, looking up. He was standing a few feet from her. “I will never judge anything you do. I do not mind your scars. They are proof you survived a tragedy. If you are uncomfortable with them, I can go into town to get you something to wear. Or if you just want something to wear. You need not be naked if you do not wish to be.” She smiled lightly at him and nodded.

She let her towel hit the ground. He blinked hard, jaw tightening, but his eyes did not stray from hers.

“Okay. Let’s get in.” She motioned for him to get back in and he slowly turned around to get back in the tub. She watched him. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and swim trunks. Which nearly gave her a heart attack to begin with. He had never looked so _modern._ Or young.

As she watched him settle back against the wall, he kept his eyes respectfully on her face, but she also knew there was no doubt he saw all of her. He almost looked like a regular guy beside the paleness, strange textured skin, and dark red eyes.

She sauntered up the steps and slid into the hot tub and sighed, leaning her head back. She took the hair tie off her wrist and wrapped her hair in a messy bun. She opened her eyes and met Marcus’ dark ones.

“Is this alright?” He nodded. “Are _you_ alright?” He nodded.

“I am not sure if you are tempting me or not.”

“Admittedly, I don’t think I’m sure either.” She smirked at him. He gave a small, tight lip smile in return. “Can I get closer?” He nodded. She did so, staying with her knees bent so that the water was over her shoulders. She got close enough that she could feel the cold water around him. She met his eyes, and he came off the seat to kneel in front of her. She brought her hand up, tracing his face. He closed his eyes, allowing her to do so. She ran her fingers over his lips and they parted. She got closer.

“Can I kiss you?” His eyes snapped opened and his hand came up the back of her neck. Their lips met slowly, both hesitating. Blake did not want to push him, but when his lips pushed against hers firmer, she met him with equal intensity.

His hands fluttered around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She gasped, parting from him. His cold body was a shock against the heat of the water. She laughed, threading her hands through his hair.

“Hi.”

“Hello, darling.” Damn, did she want to make him sound as sultry as he did in that moment forever.

“Is this alright?” She asked. She had always tried to be careful about pushing their boundaries, but this was a lot to do after being told he had already met (and lost) the love of his life.

“Of course, it is.” His fingers gently caressed the side of her face. “I very much am enjoying this.”

“Oh, I can tell, I just want to make sure you are alright with it.” She could certainly feel it, that’s for sure.

“Blake, I told of Didyme because I felt you had the right to know. I shall tell you if there is ever something we are doing that I do not wish to, and I expect the same from you. Didyme was a very long time ago. I wish to cherish every moment with you.” His cold fingers met her flaming cheeks.

“I have to admit, having you human is terrifying. I could not protect an immortal, how am I to protect you? I am growing to adjust, though I do sincerely hope I will not have to endure it for long. In the meantime, however, I will enjoy moments like this. Listening to your heart race, see the blood rise to your cheeks. Feeling your _heat._ I will not miss having to hold back.”

“hold back?” She asked, though her voice was much quieter. He hummed, eyes narrowing on hers, hands moving to hold her back her middle.

“Indeed. I have to be very careful with you, darling. I am unaccustomed to touch, nevermind that of a human.”

“Do I need to move?” She made to back up, but he pulled her flush to him. A shiver went up her spine as she raised her eyes to meet his. He was looking down at her.

“I would rather you stay where you are.” He kissed her forehead.

“Well, can you sit? Kinda uncomfortable here.” In a flash, he was back in his seat. She took another deep breath before wading over to him and depositing herself in his lap. Her muscles jumped at feeling his swimsuit against her skin.

Her extra sense telling her how wrong it was for him to be warm.

He wasn’t exactly warm, but he was much warmer than he usually was, the hot water really helping with that.

“There any particular reason you are wearing this?” She asked, tracing her hands over his half-wet shirt.

“I did not wish to make you uncomfortable.” He smirked as she laughed. His hands raised for a second before falling back onto the railing.

“you can touch me, you know.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, one hand was on the small of her back, the other cupping her neck. She nuzzled against his hand and smiled at him. “You sure this okay? I don’t want to move too fast with you.”

“I can guarantee you; you are not moving ‘too fast’. I am…alright with this, Blake. Didyme was a long time ago. We are mates, darling. If anything, we are taking our relationship very slow. This is not a bad thing, I do enjoy spending time with you.”

She smiled, she pushed on his shoulders. “I want to see what you look like with wet hair.” He smiled at her and slid down the seat to dip his head in the water. Coming back up, he locked eyes on her, completely unaffected by the water dripping down his face and into his eyes.

“Well?”

“I think I want to paint you like this.”

“Speaking of artwork, I have a drawing from Caius that I am supposed to give you. I have not looked at it, but I am sure it is very lovely.” She smiled at him, thumb tracing his lip. He leaned forward and she met him halfway.

She nibbled on his lip, moving to mouth along his jaw. He ran his hands up and down her back, pulling her flush against him. He let out a deep rumble as she got to his neck and she smiled, pulling back to look him in the eye. His hand met her breast and she jumped, but quickly caught his wrist when he went to retreat.

“I’m good, wasn’t expecting it.” He smiled gently before returning his hand and kneading the flesh. She met his lips again with heat.

Only to be interrupted by his phone ringing.

She groaned, dropping her head onto his shoulder. He shifted so he could grab it. Blake shifted her hips to get more comfortable and his hand tightened against her back.

“Sorry,” she muttered, a flaming blush no doubt covering her face.

“it is Aro.”

“Ooh, can I answer it?” He handed it to her with a smile. “Batsy!” She heaved as she answered it.

“Are you out of breath, _piccola?”_

_“_ Uh…no?” Her voice squeaked.

“Is Marcus in the general area? Not that I do not enjoy speaking to you, but I must ask his opinion on this trial.” Blake immediately handed Marcus the phone and went to move but he held her firm. He spoke quickly in Italian for about a minute, which had Blake furrowing her brows. They never spoke that long around her, having the ability to speak superhumanly fast and all. When he was done, he held the phone out with a small smile that did not quite meet his eyes.

“Everything okay?” She asked Aro.

“Yes, my dear. Nothing for you to worry about. I do hope you and Marcus enjoy your time together, but I must go. I will call again later.” She agreed and then the call disconnected. She handed back to Marcus who tossed back to the table.

“What if you had broken that?”

“I could replace it easily.” She laughed, rolling her eyes.

They soaked in the hot tub for a while, before Blake’s fingers became so pruned, she was getting concerned. She stepped out of the tub, holding onto Marcus’ hands for balance. He wrapped a large fluffy towel around her shoulders, and she smiled, shyly wrapping it around her body.

Pretty ironic to get embarrassed _after_ sitting naked on his lap.

She admitted to him that she almost certainly could not go up the stairs and he picked her up, cradling her gently to his chest as he walked up the stairs.

She took the time to watch and study his face. He looked to be almost her age, physically, wondering if he knew how old he was when he was turned. Out of all three of them, he definitely looked to be closest in physical age to her, followed by Aro and then Caius. He placed her on the counter and stepped back to draw a bath in the large tub.

“I think this will not be too hot for you,” he murmured, before straightening up. She nodded and reached for him as he came closer. He stood between her legs, one of her hands still clutching the towel at the top, the other going to his shoulder to play with his wet hair.

“Do you know how old you were when you were turned?”

“Aro says I was almost twenty years of age.”

“Aro?”

“I do not remember much of my human life, however, Aro saw enough to deduce things such as my age. He was in his mid-twenties, and Caius in his mid-forties.” Her eyes widened. “Are you alright?”

“Caius is older than my _dad?”_

“We all are, darling.”

“I meant physically.”

“Yes, he would be. Darling, all three of us are much older than your father.”

“You see, I know that, but also, Caius is probably the most attractive middle-aged person I have ever met in my life.” She snorted. Marcus chuckled, and she froze, looking at him. He raised a brow.

“What?”

“you just laughed!” He smiled at her and she squealed bringing him closer to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, no longer trying to make the towel stay up. He held her firmly against his wet chest and she smiled, tilting her head back to look at him. “I am glad I met you guys.”

“Me too, darling. Me too.” He pressed a long, firm kiss against her forehead. When he pulled away, her hands instinctively came back up to her towel. She looked at where the tub was filling up.

“There any liquid soap? I’m in the mood for a bubble bath.” He opened the cabinet and knelt, looking through it. She bit her lip as she watched him. “My god, you are really hot.” He looked up with a brow raised.

“I am assuming that is a modern term for something besides temperature.” She giggled and nodded.

“You are really, really handsome.” His eyes took on a soft, embarrassed look.

“You are very beautiful, darling.” He stood, a bottle in his hand. “Is this what you were talking about?” She nodded. “What do I do with it?”

“I can do it.” She went to reach for it, but he held it out of her reach, a teasing smirk on his face.

“Let me.” She scowled but told him to pour some under the running water. He came to stand in front of her again, hesitating for a second before his hands ended up gently on her hips. “Is everything alright? That phone call seemed important.”

“Yes, everything is alright.” She nodded, moving her head to look at the tub.

“Bubbles!” She pushed him away and dropped her towels, seating herself in the warm water, immediately splashing a pile of bubbles. She looked up at him with a wide smile and a laugh.

“Remind me again how old you are,” he teased and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“It has been _forever_ since I’ve had a bubble bath, I am allowed to be childish every once in a while.” He smiled gently before heading towards the door. He stopped before he got to it though. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?” He ducked his head, and Blake swore he would be blushing if he could and wished she could see it.

“I do not wish to be presumptuous.”

“You want to bathe with me?” her heart skipped a beat when he turned his black eyes to her. She scooted up in the tub, water and bubbles sloshing over the edge. “Come on, it’s good for the planet. Saves water and all that jazz.” He slowly took off his shirt, keeping eye contact with her. When he pushed down his trunks, he started walking towards her.

Her eyes trailed over his defined chest and abdomen, and down to his-

“ _Jesus.”_

_“_ I do believe my name is Marcus,” He was amused and her eyes shot back to his, a blush blooming on her face.

“Did you just make a joke?” he smirked and lowered himself behind her. They were both stiff for a moment.

“I will not do anything you do not want me to.” She leaned back into his chest, shivering at the contrast of his cold skin against the warm water. His nose fell into the crook of her neck and he purred. She sighed, leaning back into him, feeling his energy surround her completely.

“You don’t mind this?” she asked, wanting to make sure.

“I do not.”

“And…and my scars?” Her breath caught. He purred deeper, nose caressing her shoulder.

“Every part of you is beautiful, my darling. Your scars only make me wish to do terrible things to those who gave them to you. Which you have accomplished yourself.” She snorted.

“Hell yeah, I did.” She relaxed into him, her fears easing.

After several moments, and gentle washing, his hand landed on her thigh and her muscles jumped, but she didn’t move to stop him.

“I think I’m the one that’s not sure if she’s being tempted or not now,” She breathed, referring to when she got in the hot tub earlier.

“Want me to continue?” He asked, voice rumbling next to her ear.

“If you want to.” His hand moved higher up, and her breath caught.

“Tell me, Blake, darling. Do you want me to touch you?”

“ _Yes.”_ She bucked closer to him and moaned, head falling back.

Her limbs felt like jelly as she laid on the bed, watching as Marcus got dressed. Despite her asking if he wanted her to reciprocate, Marcus had been very adamant that he was okay, and he still looked very smug when he tucked her into bed.

“I think you ruined masturbation for me forever,” She mumbled, and he laughed, head thrown back. Her heart fluttered at seeing him so happy and so at ease. He approached her, silent as always, and knelt on the ground, hand coming to grab hers.

“Did I hurt you?”

“Not at all.” He gave her a wolfish smile and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “I am exhausted though, good job. I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard before.” He bit his lip, and she wished again that she could make him blush.

“Sleep.” She pulled his arm and he got into bed with her. She curled up to his side. “Sweet dreams darling.”


	38. Chapter 38

Blake woke and stretched feeling much more relaxed than she had in a while. She looked up, making eye contact with Marcus. She smiled sleepily.

“hi.”

“hello.”

“I want food. Carry me to the kitchen?” He nodded, and she was in his arms. He deposited her in the kitchen, and she moved around before deciding she was making pancakes and almost made the mistake of asking him if he wanted some.

As she started cooking, Marcus stood from his seat on the bar.

“My cellular device is ringing; I shall return quickly.” She nodded, flashing him a smile before he disappeared. She felt his presence diminish slightly before she finished flipping the final pancake and plopped it on the plate. Butter and syrup were next. She had just sat down at the bar when she felt him come back, an envelope in his hand.

He held out the phone and envelope. She took both, putting the phone on speaker and laying it on the counter.

“ _mio cara,_ Marcus was supposed to give you this yesterday,” Caius’ voice was slightly dark, and Blake blushed as she looked up at Marcus. “Seeing as how it slipped his mind, I am not ending this call until you see it.” She laughed lightly.

“Hello to you too, vampire boy.” She could practically see the look of indignation that would come over his face.

“Am I ever going to lose that dreaded nickname?”

“Probably not.” She opened the envelope and pulled out the page. It was a sketchbook page, on it she was drawn in graphite, hair sprayed over a pillow, sunlight ghosting over her exposed arms. She looked…very pretty. “Caius…”

“That night, in the hotel, I told you that you looked ravishing, and you did not believe me. I hope you do not mind, but I drew this of you that day, while you slept. Maybe you will believe me now.”

“Aww, Caius. It’s beautiful, thank you. I don’t mind.” She smiled, placing it to the side where she was absolutely sure no syrup could get on it.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” She felt herself heat up.

“Yeah,” her voice squeaked, and she silently cursed herself.

“ _Piccola,_ what’s wrong?” Aro cut in.

“Nothing’s wrong, but I am about to eat pancakes.”

“It’s the evening.”

“I took a nap and wanted pancakes. There is no rule that pancakes are strictly a morning food,” she countered, cutting off a piece of her pancakes. Marcus appeared next to her, her medicine in his hand. She took it from him with a smile and gulped down the pills.

“I suppose you are correct. So, you’re having fun?” She cut her eyes up to Marcus who was giving her a smoldering look.

“Mmhm.”

“If you wish to return-”

“No, really, guys. I’m having fun. Miss you guys, though.” She heard Aro hum before Caius said something in a different language. “What was that?”

“We miss you too,” Aro said. “Caius is not a man of many words, but his thoughts have not strayed from you for long.” Blake chuckled when she heard Caius growl.

“That’s really sweet of you Caius.” His growl stopped.

“yes, well.” She smirked and stuffed her bite into her mouth.

“We will leave you to your dinner, _piccola.”_

“Okay, talk to you guys later?” After goodbyes from both ends, they hung up and Blake started actually eating her food.

When she was done, plopping the plate in the dishwasher, she turned back to Marcus. He came over and she stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Do you regret earlier?” He asked, eyes downcast. “I would hate to think I pressured you into something you were not ready for.”

“No, Marcus, honey.” His eyes moved to hers, as she moved her hands to cup his jaw. “No, I don’t regret it. I could never regret something we do, understand me?” He nodded once; mouth pulled into a frown. “Why? Do You?” His eyes snapped up to hers.

“Never.”

“then I need you to realize that I don’t either. And I need you to actually understand that I don’t. Not just saying it because I think you need to hear it.”

“I understand, Blake. I am glad you enjoyed yourself.” They hugged for a while, him holding up all of her weight.

“Are they gonna be mad?”

“No. Though they may sulk that I was the first to pleasure you.” Blake’s face got really hot and she scurried back. He had a very self-satisfied smirk on his face. “I do enjoy seeing you blush.”

“I wish I could make you blush.”

“Can you tell when I am embarrassed?”

“Yeah. It’s really cool, too. Considering for all my twenty-something years I’ve dreamt of you, your expression has almost always been the same. I’m glad that I can play a part in you experiencing something else.” He gave her a gentle smile.

“I am as well.”

“Come on, I think our language lessons are long overdue.”

Blake was having a _ton_ of fun. She had pretty much broken through the shell of Marcus and had him throwing a couple of jokes at her every now and again. She talked on the phone multiple times a day to Caius and Aro, and they seemed like they missed her very much. She missed them too, so it was fair.

It was the seventh night, and Blake just got off the phone with her dad about Bella’s graduation plans. She limped into the kitchen and saw Marcus in full Volturi clothes.

“We’re going back?” He shook his head and gave her a small, tense smile.

“No, I require to go into town. I need to…feed.” Immediately, her good mood dampened exponentially.

“Oh.” She walked past him to the fridge to start pulling out something to make herself for dinner.

“Blake…”

“What? Is ‘oh’ not an appropriate reaction to hearing you’re about to commit murder? Oh, I get it, I should try to stop you giving you a bullshit claim that it’s about your safety.” She dropped the butter on the counter and sighed, turning around, already backtracking.

Marcus looked absolutely crestfallen.

“No, wait, I didn’t mean that. Okay? I’m good. Go eat. Only makes sense if we have our meals at the same time.” She held out her hand and he came forward to grab it. “I didn’t mean that. I guess I’m still just a little cranky that you tried to stop me. I just…don’t want to see it.”

“I am not messy; you will not have to worry about that.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I know I hurt you when I tried to prevent you and Caius from going, and I apologize for that.”

She pulled his hand so she could overly exaggerate a kiss to each knuckle before pressing one to the inside of his palm.

“Alright, now go. And hurry back, I want to try to get you to watch American Idol.” She gave him a playful shove and he gave a quiet chuckle.

“Will you be alright?” She nodded. “I will not be gone longer than an hour.” She nodded and they shared a kiss before he was gone. Her skin felt like crawling as soon as his presence diminished enough for her to feel completely and utterly alone.

She ended up making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is she quickly ate and then called Aro while nervously sitting on the couch.

“Little Swan, how are you?”

“Kind of freaking out at being alone, but I’m okay.”

“Where is Marcus?” He snarled.

“Hunting.” There was a long moment of silence.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little jumpy. Talk with me until he gets back?”

“Of course.”

They talked about nothing, really. He did inquire if she was going to do the video call for her sister’s graduation which she told him she wasn’t sure. It was only a couple of days away and she was still very pissed at Bella even though they had been having weekly phone calls. She informed Aro that she was indeed enjoying her time with Marcus, but she was still missing her vampire boy and mutant bat.

He had laughed at that and she played with the bracelet he made her.

When Marcus returned, she looked up, feeling his presence wash over her before he even got in the house. He appeared in the doorway, looking at her softly.

“Okay, Marcus is back. I’m going to make him watch American Idol with me,” She said, smiling and waving at Marcus.

“Okay, _piccola,_ good luck with that, Marcus.” They exchanged goodbyes and she hung up, looking up at Marcus.

He was giving her a hesitant look and she held her hands out.

“Come here, honey.” She was adamant about calling him all kinds of terms of endearments, he seemed to really enjoy them, and had vowed she would continue. He couldn’t blush, but he would do this adorable look at looking around which was pretty much the same thing.

He grasped her hands and knelt in front of her. “I am sorry I had to leave you.”

“don’t be. You needed to eat. It’s fine. Now, sit, we have a show to watch.” She smiled at him and cupped his face. They pressed their foreheads together before he joined her on the couch.

They watched several acts before she pushed away from him and her hands found the clasp on his cloak. He leaned back and she ended up straddling his lap, fiddling with the clasp.

“This clasp is stupid,” She muttered. He chuckled, one hand coming up which she batted away. “I can do it.” She got one undone and immediately saw another which she scowled at. “Why do you three wear so many fucking clothes?” She was quicker with that one and pushed it off his shoulders with a triumphant smile. He was looking at her with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

“What?”

“You are so beautiful.” She blushed, looking down.

“Sorry, I really did just get all up in your personal space.” She went to move, but his hands found her hips.

“I don’t mind.”

They didn’t watch the show, instead spent time talking to each other before she was falling asleep in his arms.

Blake woke up, feeling hot and sticky. She sat up, groggily opening her eyes. She felt her heart stutter.

Her hands were covered in blood.

She heaved a deep breath, eyes wide open as they surveyed the room. The bedspread was slick with warm blood, and she threw the sheets back and rushed into the bathroom, turning the sink on hot water.

She scrubbed her hands, breath coming out in deep pants.

_What did I do? What did I DO?_

“The fuck happened?” She felt her eyes sting with tears as she scratched the congealed blood off of her skin.

“Darling?” She jumped, not looking towards where Marcus was in the doorframe.

“I’m sorry.” She can’t breathe. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“The blood. I’m so sorry.” She can’t _fucking breathe._

“What blood?”

“What-” She looked up, shaking her head, gasping for breath. “What do mean ‘what blood?’ It’s everywhere.” She looked down at her hands and shook her head, running her fingers over her perfectly clean skin. There was no blood in the sink.

“There is no blood.” She looked back up at him, brow furrowed, shaking her head. “Come here, darling, Blake. Breathe.” He came forward pulling her against his chest as he took exaggerated breaths. Her hands made fists in his shirt as she started to sob.

“What the fuck is happening?” He shushed her, telling her to concentrate on breathing.

About thirty minutes later, she was curled up on the couch, Marcus’ cloak wrapped around her shoulders as he handed her a cup of hot tea.

“This is a European thing,” She muttered but took it from him, gratefully leaning her head on his shoulder. “Sorry, guess my PTSD isn’t as better as I thought it was.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” They sat in silence for a few moments, Blake trying really hard to be okay. And to like the hot tea. She preferred the American iced version.

“Blake, you do have blood on your hands, but it was all justified.” She looked up at him with teary eyes. “I need you to know that. You have done nothing wrong.”

“I’ve watched innocents die. People I swore to protect, but I couldn’t. The only thing I seem to be good at is killing. None of my targets have ever gotten back up.” She looked down at her cup, brow furrowed. “I couldn’t be a good daughter or a good sister. I couldn’t protect people. I couldn’t save my team. I really don’t think I’m doing an all-around good job at this mate thing either.” Her voice was small and broke at the end of her sentence. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

She took a deep shaky breath.

“You are a wonderful light, Blake. There is no right and wrong way to be a mate. As for the others, you have gone through tragedies in your human life, there is no denying that, but you need not sell yourself short.

“You have this natural air around you that breaths _good._ You are a wonderful artist, and you are a good sister, whether or not Isabella agrees is out of the question. Jasper knows you are a wonderful sibling. You have managed to tame Caius’ anger and have made me happy again.

“These are the works of an unaccomplished individual, Blake. And I will spend every day for eternity letting you know how much you mean to me, and those around you.” She smiled, leaning into him, putting her cup onto the table.

“Thank you, Marcus.”

They ended up back in the hot tub for several hours to relax. When she went to lay down for the night, she curled under Marcus’ chin, arms clinging to him.

“Can we go back home tomorrow?”

“Of course, darling. Sweet dreams.” She went to sleep, thinking of how quickly Volterra had become her home in the cold and comforting arms of one of her amazing partners.


	39. Chapter 39

Blake enjoyed every moment of her week with Marcus in Germany. She did.

But that didn’t stop the feeling of dread from being away from the other two.

She was content on the plane ride, trying (and hilariously failing) to hold conversation with him in Italian. It ended up with her apologizing a lot. He was a good sport about it, but she could still see him very slightly grimace at her pronunciation a couple of times.

On the car ride, she held his hand tightly, relishing in the feeling of Volterra she could get, even from several towns over. She could _feel_ Caius and Aro again and she was practically bouncing in her seat.

They pulled into the parking garage and she was hit full force by Aro’s and Caius’ presences for the first time in over a week. She looked up, locking eyes with Caius through the windshield. The car was barely stopped before she had the door opened and was colliding into his chest.

She took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around him as tight as she possibly could. There was no chance of hurting him and she was very glad at that, allowing her to use all her force. She squealed as he lifted her off her feet and spun.

She laughed, hands tangling in his hair. He purred loudly; face buried in her shoulder.

“Missed you,” She murmured. He said something in a different language, but she was pretty confident it was some form of an agreement. She sighed; fingers curled into the nape of his neck.

He put her on her feet and very slowly took a step backward. She locked eyes with him before turning and surging forward into Aro’s arms. He chuckled, gloved hands resting on her head and back.

“I am glad to have you back, _piccola._ We have missed you terribly. I do hope you thoroughly enjoyed yourself.” She was very glad her face was currently hidden in his chest, because she _knew_ that she would be as red as a tomato.

“I did. Very much. Just glad to be back with all of you.” She suddenly understood Bella’s nightmares a lot more if she was Edward’s mate. She couldn’t fathom any of her three kings telling her she meant nothing when her very being craved their presence.

Though that’s what she feared when first learning about it, and it still makes itself known sometimes.

She pulled back from and laughed as he whined, pulling her close.

“Okay, yeah, missed you too, but can you please be a cuddly bat somewhere more comfortable than the garage?”

She was soon on a bed, pressed between Caius and Aro as they purred against her. She laughed, curling into them. She looked over, locking eyes with Marcus as he stood watching them with a small smile. She stuck out a hand the best she could and he came forward. She looked at him for a second before sitting up, and smiling at the protests from the two on either side of her. She pulled on Caius’ hand and he allowed her to move him to the middle of the bed. She smiled, and plopped herself on him.

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her, and shoving his face in her neck, and resumed his purring. Aro moved closer, so they were touching, and met her eyes. She smiled gently at him. She felt Marcus join them on her other side, against them.

She did try to stay awake, but she was so comfortable and felt so safe surrounded by all of them, she drifted off.

“Jasper.” Blake looked over and saw Alice standing in the doorway of the Cullen house. She had her hands in front of her, clasped tightly together. Her eyes were misty. In a flash, Jasper was next to her, holding her hands.

“What’s wrong, darlin’?”

“Nothing.” She looked up to him with a gentle smile. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need to tell you something.” She took a deep unneeded breath. Blake felt really bad about watching this as it felt like an invasion of privacy, but she didn’t exactly have control of it.

“Alice, your emotions-”

“I need you to listen to my words more at the moment, okay?” He nodded; eyebrows furrowed. She grasped his hands tightly in hers. “I’ve seen your future, and I need you to know: _it’s okay._ I understand, and I will be with you every step of the way.”

“Alice-” Jasper started, shaking his head.

“I know you don’t understand yet, but you will. It’s nothing immediate, more like in the next year or two. The exact time is still unknown.”

“Then are you sure of whatever it is you’re talking about?”

“It’s the most certain thing I’ve seen in a while. Even more than Bella becoming one of us.”

“Alice…”

“No, it’s a good thing. You’ll enjoy it, I promise. And I will be right there with you, no matter what. Now, I think that’s enough of that, don’t you think?”

Blake woke up groggily, shivering. She looked up, smiling when her eyes met Aro’s.

“good morning, _piccola,_ did you rest well?” She nodded, wrapping her arms under Caius’ neck. He purred loudly at that. “Breakfast?” She again nodded. She snuggled closer to Caius’ chest, closing her eyes and pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“Are you still tired, darling?” she nodded. Caius tapped her head. She looked up, a playful glare on her face. He smirked, and then pulled her up. She shrieked, and erupted into laughter. He tilted her chin up and smiled gently at her.

“I’m going to kiss you now.” She shook her head, laughing, before meeting him halfway. She moaned against him as he moved against her, hand tangled in her hair. She pulled back, shaking her head.

“You have a bad habit of kissing me before I get to brush my teeth.” He merely shrugged and gazed up at her.

She turned as Aro came back into the room, a tray of food in his hands. She got up and off of Caius, despite his pouting. Marcus helped her sit against the bedframe in his previous position as he stood. The tray was deposited on her and she thanked Aro, who brushed it off.

“You need not thank me for feeding you.”

“I need to go do some paperwork, darling. You alright?” She nodded at Marcus as she turned fully to him. He gave her a very small smile. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. He ducked and met her for a quick chaste kiss before he backed away, lightly trailing his finger against her jaw before he disappeared out of the room. She settled back against her headboard and turned her head as Caius spoke.

“That’s a new development.”

“That’s what happens when alone. For days…no guards to _interrupt._ ” She raised her brows at him, and his smirk disappeared. She turned back to her food and began eating.

“Did you two…” She cut her eyes to him, a small smirk on her face. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out later.” She snorted, shaking her head and continued eating. When done, she deposited the tray on the nightstand, before rolling over, so she was back on top of Caius. His dark eyes rested on her, looking her up and down.

“I missed you dearly, _mio cara._ ” She nodded.

“Missed you too.” She looked at Aro when he cleared his throat.

“Hey batsy,” she held out her hand and he took it with a smile.

“I must admit, I am very intrigued about your time with Marcus over the past week, but I will not pry until you give me permission. To you or Marcus.” She nodded, but felt the blush that spread over her cheeks regardless. Caius sat straight up; his chest pressed against hers as he looked at her inquisitively. She gave a shy smile, and tried to slip from his grip, but he had a firm grip.

“Caius, let go. I want to take a shower,” she poked his nose, “And brush my teeth.” He rolled his eyes but released her. She walked slowly to the bathroom, wincing with each step.

“Would you like help in the shower?” came his cocky voice from back at the bed. She turned around and stuck her tongue out before closing the bathroom door behind her and locking it.

In the shower, she couldn’t help but remember the way Marcus’ hands trailed over her body, which sent shivers through her spine. She shook her head, got out, brushed her teeth with a toothbrush she had stocked in here after her surgery. Wrapping a towel around her, she opened the door, and was immediately met with three pairs of dark eyes. She threw them a peace sign and ventured into the closet and changed into sweat pants and a comfy tank top. She walked back out slowly, giving a little wave to the three of them.

Aro laughed, crossing the room to her quickly, bringing her into a hug.

“I do believe Aro might be a little jealous.” She pulled back from Aro, raising a brow at him and then looking at Caius. Aro growled as he turned. “What? Am I wrong, brother? Are you not jealous that we have shared kisses with our mate, but you haven’t?”

“Caius!”

“What? Ask him?” He said, a smirk on his face. Blake scowled at him and then turned back to Aro, who slowly turned back to her.

“Oh my god, are you?” She took a step and he shook his head, though his nose scrunched up. “Aro…”

“It is quite alright, Blake. We’ve already discussed that we move at your own pace.” She shot a look towards the other two, and they disappeared out of the room. Blake led Aro back to the bed, and pushed him so he sat down. She stood in front of him, watching as he slowly looked up to meet her eyes.

“Aro, I didn’t know. Honestly, I am not even sure if I’ve ever thought about it. Oh, that sounds bad. I mean.” She took a deep breath. “I mean that you can see everything I’ve ever experienced. Which is _a lot_ more intimate than kissing could ever be. And sure, I would definitely like to kiss you, but you didn’t really strike me as someone to want to.” He smiled at her gently, stroking her cheek with his gloved hand. He pulled her so that she was straddling his lap.

“That is understandable. However, not accurate. I would very much like to kiss you.”

“I would too, but I don’t think the first time you see what’s in my head right now should be when we’re kissing.” Her face heated up, and Aro tilted his head, eyebrow quirked. “uhh, yeah. That’s all you’re getting about that right now.”

“ugh, fine. I will just wait rather impatiently.” Blake shook her head, and pat the top of his head.

“Are you guys busy today?” He shook his head.

“Not terribly so, just some simple paperwork that can be postponed until tonight.”

“No, don’t do that, that’s just more work for you. I’ll come sit with you guys, if that’s alright? Like before?” He nodded.

“Perfectly okay.”

So, they ended up in the throne room, the three of them doing paperwork at a table in the corner of the room that they had set up in there for her. She sat on one side of the table, drawing with a smile on her face as she relished in the presence of the three of them.

She was finally drawing Marcus like he was in the hot tub that first day, with water dripping down his face, him looking up at her with reverence. She bit her lip as she shaded some details on. She looked up, and immediately her eyes met Caius’.

“Am I allowed to know what you’re drawing?”

“Nope.” She popped the word, and rolled her eyes at Caius’ playful glare.

“I will wager that it’s Marcus.” She scowled, flipping the page. “I am correct?”

“Can you guys, like, see reflections in my eyes?”

“No,” Caius answered with a smile at the same time that Marcus said:  
“Yes.”

They both looked at each other with narrowed eyes. Blake sighed. “How am I ever going to get away with anything around you guys.”

“Make your own language,” Aro muttered, turning a page.

“That doesn’t do anything against _you.”_ He looked up through his lashes, a large smile on his face. She shook her head, and went to drawing hands. Specifically: theirs. Hands are always hard, but they have good hands and are currently all different angles so, good practice.

After several sketches, movement caught her eye. She looked up, watching as Marcus offered his hand to Aro before freezing, pulling his hand back as his eyes moved up to hers.

“Aro, take a look at this document.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate, that, honey, I do, but you might as well show him.” Aro was out of his seat in a flash, hand eagerly outstretched to Marcus. Caius put down his pen, folding his hands under his chin as he fixed his eyes on Aro. Marcus caught her eyes.

“You are sure?” Blake nodded, though her face was flaming. Marcus hesitated but nodded back at her and lifted his hand to Aro’s. He quickly scooped it up, head bowed. Blake watched, slowly sinking down her chair. Aro’s head snapped up after several moments, eyes wide. Caius tilted his head before he turned his head to Blake and leaned towards her, brow furrowed.

“Are you injured?” she shook her head.

Aro had seen her naked through her own eyes, but this is the first time he’d see her through someone else’s eyes, plus the other stuff too. She knew she had nothing to worry about with him, but she couldn’t help it.

Aro let go of Marcus’ hand, taking a deep breath. He turned to her, and raised a brow, dark eyes strained tightly on her.

“I can understand why you did not want to show me that the first time we kiss, but I’ve seen it now, and would like to kiss you.” She smiled, standing from her seat. He flashed over to her, pulling her gently by the hips, and gently rested his lips against hers. A moment passed before his hands flexed on her back, and she apologized in her mind.

“Ohh, _piccola,_ you have absolutely _nothing_ to apologize for. I am very glad that you enjoyed yourself. Can I kiss you again?” She quickly nodded and he pulled her flush to him, one hand splaying in her hair. He gently nibbled on her lip. In a flash of cold air, she was seated on the table. She laughed, throwing her arms around his shoulders as he stepped between her legs. He gently caressed her neck before pulling her back to him. She let out a tiny moan when he rocked his hips against hers, and he immediately did it again.

_Don’t you have paperwork?_

“Paperwork can wait,” He hissed quietly as he pulled away. Their lips met again, and he pulled her hips closer to his, rocking into her steadily, purring at her breathy moans.

She chuckled shaking her head and pushed against his chest. He let out a deep sigh, and pouted.

“Aro! Paperwork.”

“Okay, okay.” He raised his hands up in mock surrender before he helped her off the table. “That was a very lovely first kiss if I do say so myself.” She rolled her eyes at his confidence but nodded, nonetheless. She situated herself back in her chair, taking a second to try and even out her breathing and get her heart to calm down. She looked up sheepishly at Caius, feeling his eyes on her. He didn’t look bothered by her make out session- she knew by now they didn’t care, but he did still look very interested.

“Do I get to know the big secret?” Blake blushed harder and looked at Marcus.

“Your turn.”

“When was yours?” He countered. She pouted, fluttering her lashes.

“Please baby?” He laughed, and shook his head before nodding. A second later, Caius violently stood from his seat and held out a hand to her. She raised a brow at him. His dark eyes ran over her body.

“I’d like to continue my demonstration if you do.”

“Not yet, Caius.” He nodded once, and came to kneel in front of her, taking her hands.

“Don’t ever move faster than you wish to. We are all perfectly happy with what you give us. I am simply envious Marcus was the first one to give you pleasure.”

“You guys must really enjoy watching me blush.” She looked up to the ceiling. She looked back at him when he gently touched her chin.

“I mean what I have said.”

“I know, if I thought you were lying, there’d be some screaming going on. I’d bet I can hit frequencies that really hurt your ears. Oh! Can you guys hear below the hertz levels humans can? I assume you can.” They all looked at her with visible amusement. “Okay, whatever. Point stands, I know to move at my own pace.” She met Marcus’ eyes and then looked back down at Caius.

“And I think it’s very sweet that you made sure you verified that with me. But I knew that was a joke. Well, kind of a joke, because if I had said yes, I have no doubt that you would have immediately whisked me away.”

He gave her knuckles a kiss before moving back to his seat.

“You’re handling that better than I thought you were going to,” She commented as she turned to Aro. “I take it back.” His chair was pretty much right next to hers, and he had his eyes narrowed onto Marcus.

“We have already discussed his jealousy once today, _mio cara._ ”

Blake reached over and pat Aro’s arm.

“Stop pouting and do your work.” He turned to her and raised a brow.

“Yes ma’am.” He chuckled, turning back to his document.

“Oh, and no fighting Marcus.” He looked up, an exaggerated pout on his face.

“You are taking away all of my outlets.”

“I’m sure you can go a round or two with Caius.” They both looked at Caius who raised his brows. “Or you don’t want to because he’s not the one you’re jealous about.”

Aro stood, buttoning his cloak.

“I shall return soon.” He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, before shooting a glare at Marcus-which she definitely saw and wasn’t supposed to, he disappeared out the door.

“He’s not about to commit genocide is he?”

“He is probably shopping,” Caius said, waving his hand.

“Shopping?” she could not possibly keep the reluctance to accept that out of her voice.

“Yes, he likes to shower you with gifts, I’m sure you have noticed.” She definitely did, it attributed to how welcomed she felt when she first arrived for her permanent stay.

“Yeah, but shopping? Him?”

“He may be buying you a gift he does not want the guard to see?” Caius raised a brow at her and her eyes widened. He cracked a devious smirk. “I am not sure, that was merely a jest. He personally bought your belongings last time as well.”

“Caius, that’s not funny!”

“I thought it was.” She turned to Marcus, raising her hand to her heart.

“Traitor!” They all chuckled and quietly joked for about an hour before Aro arrived, a box in his hands. He placed it in front of her, and she could smell the sugar coming from it. She looked up at him and he nodded to it.

She opened it and smiled. It was funnel cake, and she greatly enjoyed funnel cake.

When she went to grab a piece, he moved the box causing her to screech as she glared over at him. He raised a brow.

“I don’t know what you’re bribing me for but it’s working. What do you want?”

“All it takes to bribe you is confectionary?” Caius asked. She glared at him before snapping her head back to Aro.

“Gimme.” She made grabby hands.

“I just would like something.”

“I swear, if you want her to promise to make love with you first I will personally reach across this table and decapitate you,” Caius said. Aro turned away from her for a second, and she reached for it again, but he moved it.

“Blake, I will give you this, but I would like something.” She motioned for him to continue, suddenly much more wary after Caius’ comment. “I would very much like to take you to Paris one day soon.”

“You did not have to bribe me for that, I’ve always been fascinated by Paris.” Her words were calm, but inside she was freaking out. _Paris!_ He wants to take her to _Paris._

“I know.” he gave her the box and she smiled victoriously as she plopped a piece in her mouth.

“Though, if that is just a plot to get me to sleep with you, it’s a no.”

“I would never try to get you to do something that you aren’t ready for.” She looked up at him and nodded.

“I know.”

“though, while there, if you would like help in the shower, I would not object.” She nearly choked on her mouthful of sweets.

“You’re never going to drop that, are you?”

“You were the one who contemplated it while thinking about me.” She groaned, plopping head on the table.

“I cannot control my thoughts! And besides, that was hot as hell, how could I not think about it?”

“Do you think about us often?” She snapped her eyes up to Caius’.

“uhh,” Her voice cracked. “Stupid voice. Yes. It’s impossible not to. You guys have met yourselves, right?”

“You just gave them much bigger egos that they already had, darling.”

“I’m aware.” She flopped her head back against the table with a _clunk!_

Immediately cold hands were on her face, tilting to her head back.

“Caius!”

“Did you just hurt yourself?”

“No, I’m fine. You can stop smothering me now.” He gave her a look which she nodded at. He moved back, though kept his eyes on her.

She turned back to Aro.

“I’m serious, don’t do anything.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She doubted that.

Several hours after Blake had gone to bed, Aro cornered Marcus in the throne room, an angry snarl on his face.

“What were you thinking?”

“You already know the answer to that.” Aro pushed him back by the shoulders, shoving his head into the wall.

“What if you had injured her? You know as well as I do, and have admitted it: you don’t know how to control your strength.” With a snarl, Marcus flung him off of him, growling lowly as he stalked towards Aro.

“I would _never_ hurt her. You know it. Just admit you wished it was yourself.” With a flash, and a sickening crack, Marcus was on his back, cracks spreading across his face.

“This is _not_ about me right now. I do indeed wish I was first, but this is about her,” Aro growled, looking down at Marcus, looking for any sign he was about to get up. “Caius takes her to go after the people who hurt her, not a second thought about her mental health. And then you- _you_ could have seriously injured her.” Marcus jumped up, grabbing Aro by the face and slamming him on the ground. Guards trickled into the room, but with a growl from Marcus, they all fled.

“You can see my memories, _brother,_ I do hope you’ll do better than accusing me of hurting _my_ mate. I have no intention on having to teach you a lesson, but I will.”

“Are you two quite done with your fighting?” Marcus snapped his head to where Caius was standing, looking unimpressed down at them. “Because I do believe our mate is either witnessing or sensing it.”

Marcus looked down at Aro who was looking up at him with narrow eyes. He got up, walking towards the door.

“At least you finally came out of your shell. Hate to think what she would think of you if you hadn’t. She’s already hurt by you.” Marcus turned with a growl, intent on going back to Aro, when Caius caught him by the shoulders, one arm wrapped firmly around his chest, gripping his neck tightly.

“Enough! Both of you. Aro, you know as well as we do that Marcus would never hurt her. For someone who can know everything about anyone, you know _nothing_ about yourself. This is just another one of your times you direct your emotions onto someone else.

“We have a mate now to consider. This behavior must stop. Do not come to see her until you have calmed down and realized this is just your jealousy that is causing this.” With that, Caius drug Marcus out of the throne room, leaving a seething and contemplative Aro.


	40. Chapter 40

Blake woke up, calling Marcus’ name. He was immediately right next to her, and she surged up, cradling his face in her hands.

“Are you okay?”

“I am.”

“Sorry, I just, felt something was wrong,” Blake said, relaxing. She had felt something was very wrong, and that he was not okay. But he looked fine, and said he was fine, and she did not sense a lie.

“Blake, you have nothing to apologize for,” he said, tilting her head to look up at him. She nodded, firm. “Would you like to do something?”

“I’d really like to go to Caius’ studio.” He smiled.

“I’m sure he will enjoy that, he’s in there now. Come, let us get you your morning meal, and then I will take you there.” She smiled, nodded, and then went to the bathroom for morning routine.

After eating fairly quickly, Marcus carried her up to the studio. Caius opened the door when they got close.

“ _mio cara,_ come to join me?” Blake nodded shyly.

“If that’s alright.” He opened the door wider, and Marcus set her on her feet. She turned, giving him a sweet kiss before walking into the room. He closed the door behind her.

He pulled a stool out and motioned to it. She took her seat and a second later, a canvas was in front of her. She smiled up at him, catching his hand.

“You know I’m happy to know you, right?” he tilted his head and nodded once. “Promise me that you know that.”

“I promise,” he lowered to one knee, holding both her hands in his. “Blake, what is wrong?”

“I’m not sure. I just felt like something was off all night. I just wanted to make sure you know that.” He gave her a small smile, patting her hands.

“I know that. Now, I do believe your sister’s graduation is today. Are you going to participate in the call that Alice Cullen propositioned?” He asked as he stood, bringing her some brushes. She groaned, propping her head up on her hand.

“God, I really don’t want to think about it. Bella was such a bitch towards me, but she’s also my sister and I think I’ll feel really bad if I don’t. ugh! Can I go get my laptop?”

“I’ll have Martin retrieve it for you.” He was gone for a second before reappearing. “He’ll bring it shortly.” It was morning here, meaning it was dead in the night in Forks, but luckily for her, vampires don’t sleep.

“Mistress,” martin called from outside the door. Blake rolled her eyes and Caius retrieved the laptop. Blake waited for Martin’s energy to disappear before opening it.

“Do they have to call me that?”

“It is your rank.”

“Well, can they call me Master at least?” Caius raised a brow. “Look, I know you’re old and you have gender stereotypes and roles and shit, but being called Mistress makes me feel like your dirty secret side chick.” He raised his chin, coming to caress her face.

“I never meant for you to feel that way. I will inform them of your new title.”

“Thank you.” She pulled him into a sweet kiss. He growled lowly when she pulled back. She chuckled, shaking the laptop. “Need to call Alice.” He gave her a little nod, giving her another quick kiss before moving back to his easel.

She opened the laptop and found Alice’s name for the video call. It rang twice before a very smiley Alice appeared on the screen.

“I knew you’d come around!” Blake rolled her eyes, but smiled regardless.

“Yeah, yeah. So, what’s going to happen?”

“Bella and Charlie will be here right after the ceremony for a bit before they’ll leave. Bella will be back for the party we’re throwing, so, we’ll call you then.”

“Okay-”

“Jasper! Your sister is talking to your wife!” Emmett’s booming voice echoed from the background. Alice rolled her eyes but smiled. A second later, Jasper was on the couch next to Alice.

“Hey Jazz.”

“Hello, Blake.”

“Okay, so, wear something nice. I know you’re not actually going to be here, but it’ll be nice. Maybe that blouse with the lace on the chest?”

“Alice, you are not picking my outfit.” Alice pouted, and Blake caught Caius’ eye, he gave her a devilish smirk, eyes twinkling with mischief. “And neither are you.”

“Awe, who’s there?” Blake turned the laptop and Caius was immediately glaring at the laptop. Blake turned it back around, chuckling.

“Don’t mind him. Okay, so you’ll call me when it’s just becoming night here, got it. If she says _one_ thing about me, I’ll hang up.”

“I think she will just be glad to see you,” Alice said, smiling sadly.

“As long as that is the case, I’m all for it.”

“I sincerely doubt that she’ll mention the Volturi while your father is here,” Emmett said as he came into frame. Blake smiled and waved.

“Yeah, I sure hope she wouldn’t be that ignorant.” She didn’t miss the look that Emmett threw at Alice. But, he was gone before she could say anything about it.

“Have a fun whatever number graduation, Alice.” She smiled and nodded. Blake exchanged goodbyes with both of them before hanging up. Blake moved the laptop to a side table that had a spot cleared off. She made it back to her stool.

She smiled over the canvas at Caius. He gave her a smirk.

“What are you painting?”

“You and Marcus.”

“Oh yeah?” She perked up.

“You can see it when it’s done. What are you working on?”

“Have not decided yet. If I ask for your help in a little bit, will you?” Blake asked. Caius nodded, before looking back down at his canvas.

Blake started outlining a landscape, something she had not necessarily been good at before, but she had seen Caius’ work and figured that she had one hell of a teacher.

Several hours in, she was grumbling, trying to get some paint to blend, and it was _not_ agreeing with her.

“Need help, _mio cara?”_

“Yes,” Blake whined, leaning her head back. Suddenly, her head was against his chest. He cradled her, hands resting on her elbows. He nudged her head forward. She looked at her pitiful excuse of a river and the bank.

“This is not bad, Blake,” he murmured, but she shook her head.

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not.” He growled lowly, and she turned, looking up at him. “Here, let me show you.” He picked up a brush, putting it in her hand and then guiding her hand. He loosened her elbow up and helped mix paint on the palette, and then lightly brushed the paint across the canvas.

“See, it is not bad. You just need to adjust your grip.” She smiled up at him. He met her eyes. “You are doing very good on your own.”

“thank you, Caius.”

He gave her a kiss, and she smiled against him, dropping the paintbrush, and cupping his face. He turned her towards him, wrapping his arms around her middle. She leaned up to him, and he pulled her up. When she pulled away, she shrieked.

“I’m so sorry.” He smirked, eyes narrowed.

“There is paint on my face.” She nodded, pursing her lips. “Shall we match then?”

“Caius!” In a quick motion, he swiped paint across her cheek. She scowled, hand finding the paint palette. She stood up, booping him on the nose. With a laugh, she spun away from him. He raised a brow at her.

“Blake, you know as well as I do that you will not win.”

“But at least we’ll match.” In a flash, he was behind her, holding her by the waist off the ground. She laughed, reaching back. He gently put her on her feet and touched her face. She made it back to the easel, grabbing a cup of paint and dipping her fingers in it.

Taking care not to get it on any of his artwork, she flicked her fingers, splattering him. He smirked, disappearing. She turned, seeing him at his easel cup in his hand. She turned, seeing that all artworks had been moved as well. She laughed, flicking more paint.

“You’re on.”

An hour later, they laughed as he took her to her room, and deposited her on the counter. He retrieved a washcloth and looked at her. She smiled, biting her lip as she looked at him, covered in paint. Blues, greens, reds, all splattered over him, several finger and handprints on his cloak and face.

He ran the cloth under water, gently rubbing at her face. She closed her eyes, letting him wash over her eyes. When he was done with her face and neck, he retrieved another one, and went to wash off his own face, but she snatched it from him and stuck her tongue out at him, before pulling him to her to wipe the colors off his skin, and ringing it out of his hair.

“There,” she put the rag on the counter, “all clean.” He smiled at her, widening when she wrapped her hands around his neck. “Well, that was not what I was expecting out of today, but I did have fun.”

“Good, I am glad. I admit I did as well.” They shared a smile before their lips met with renewed heat. She latched onto his hair, pulling him against her. One of his hands found her back, carefully avoiding her incision spot. The other was resting on her thigh as he pulled her closer. She gasped, and he smirked, moving to kiss along her jaw. She let out whispers of his name, all thoughts leaving her mind. She wrapped her good leg around his waist, pulling herself as close as possible as she pressed a kiss to his neck. He purred loudly against her, his hold tightening.

She tilted her head back, and he immediately latched onto her neck. A chill went through her, her mind screaming vampire and neck, but it was not in a bad way. It was like if her instincts were telling her to let him bite her.

She moaned, biting her lip when he gently nibbled her throat. She picked her head up, grasping him by the jaw. He looked at her with intent black eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

He rocked his hips into hers, and her eyes rolled back.

“Eyes on me,” his voice was deeper than normal. Her eyes flew open, locking on his as he panted. “You want to continue?”

“I’m not ready to have sex with you.” He nodded but did not look disappointed. Good.

“Do you want me to continue?” She nodded, arching up into him as he rocked his hips into hers. “Say it. Tell me you want me to continue.” She bit her lip, looking up at him, her facing flaming.

“Keep going, feels good.” He smiled, pulling her into another kiss, swallowing her gasp as he rocked against her again. His ice-cold skin was a fantastic contrast to her heated skin, sending chills through her heated body. She got closer, and he lifted her off the counter, holding her gently against him. In a flash, her back was on the bed, and he was standing looking down at her.

She swallowed hard watching his eyes trace over her form. “Coming?”

“I intend you to be the one doing that.” Her mouth fell open, but she didn’t even have a chance to properly process that before he was leaning over her, hips immediately pressing hers into the bed, mouth finding her throat.

She groaned, bucking against him. He purred, tracing up her throat before catching her mouth in a searing kiss.

She reached up for his hair, and her hands were caught in his, pinned above her head. She pouted, looking up at him. He smirked, pressing his hips firm against hers. She moaned, arching against him.

“Hands stay there, or I stop.”

“That’s totally not fair.” He raised a brow. “I’m sure either of the other two would be more than willing to help me out should you choose to stop.” She smirked, arching a brow. He barked a dark laugh, shaking his head as he kissed her nose.

“You are more like me than I would have ever thought. Fair enough.” He braced his other hand on the bed next to her head, and when his knee found itself in between her thighs, she clenched them together, keeping eye contact with Caius. She closed her eyes again, and he leaned against her, a purr revibrating against her.

When she finished, she looked at him with wide eyes. “Enjoy yourself?” She nodded, blinking. When he stood with her, she stopped him.

“What about you?”

“I can assure you, I can take care of myself. I took care of you, that was more than enough for me.” She asked him if he was sure and when he nodded, she felt her heart calm a bit. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up.” She blushed, and he chuckled, leading her to the bathroom.

When the water was ready, he left to give her privacy. She washed slowly, a blush on her face the entire time. When she got out and changed, Caius was in her room, in new, paint-free clothes.

“What time is it?”

“Almost six, I do believe I prevented you from your lunch. Come, let’s remedy that.” She gave him a smile, and he picked her up. Her breath caught in her throats, heat shooting through her core. He raised a brow. “Will this be your reaction every time I touch you from now on?”

“Oh hush.” She blushed, hiding her face against his cold chest. He merely chuckled at her before taking her to the kitchen for dinner. She ate silently, but took notice of the heated glances he shot at her.

Quickly finishing her meal, he whisked her back to her room where she took her medicine and then ventured into the closet. She pulled out a long-sleeved blouse with a cut out right above her chest paired with a slightly higher collar than normal. Throwing on some nice dress pants, she turned to look in the mirror and immediately gawked at it.

“Caius!” He opened the door quickly, eyes running over her form. Then he smirked, crossing his arms, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yes?”

“Don’t ‘ _yes’_ me, you _so_ did this on purpose!” She pointed at her neck where several hickeys had started forming. He said nothing, but he looked beyond amused. “ugh! I don’t have anything with a high enough neckline to cover these. My sister already thinks I’m a whore, what other proof-”

She was interrupted being whisked, her back gently hitting a wall, Caius’ freezing hands on her shoulders. He narrowed his eyes on hers.

“You are _no_ whore. If Isabella says one more degrading thing about you, I will personally go to America to teach her a lesson.” She went to protest but he growled. “You do not deserve to be treated so horribly by your own blood, that is what is important to you humans, is it not? Your blood family. I will not accept it, and neither shall you.” Blake blinked the tears out of her eyes.

“I know. But she’s still my little sister.” He shut his eyes, leaning against her forehead. “But I’ll do my best.” He smiled slightly, giving her a chaste kiss.

“That is all I ask of you, _mio cara._ Do not allow anyone to treat you as if you are worth any less than you are.” Blake blinked rapidly and smiled up at him.

“Understood. Come on, you’re helping me cover this mess up.”

“I rather like seeing my marks on you.”

“I did not say I didn’t but my family isn’t going to see them.” She turned back to him to see him giving her a devilish smirk. “I did not say that I did _either._ Now come on.” She rolled her eyes as his smirk widened and he rolled his eyes. He scooped her into his arms and deposited her gently onto the counter. He opened drawers until he found a small bag and put it onto the counter.

“Do I want to know how you knew I had make up in there? You find out when you went through my stuff?”

“that is in the past,” he said but shook his head, a nice little glint in his eyes. “But for your information, I happen to know a few things about human cosmetic products. Now, which one is for covering up my beautiful marks.”

“The concealer,” she pointed to a tube. “And get that powder.” He grabbed it and put it on the counter next to her. He grabbed a brush and tilted her head back. She couldn’t help it, a giggle left her lips.

“What is so funny?”

“This!” She grabbed his hand with the brush in it. “you with a makeup brush. Something vampires have no use of makeup. I’m sorry if I find it funny.” He merely shook his head.

“Sometimes I wonder about your sanity.”

“Because of the makeup?”

“No, _mio cara._ I am merely unaccustomed to your method of thinking.”

“Well, you better get used to it.”

“I am quickly adjusting to you, now, head back.” She gave him a salute and did as he said. She jumped when the cold makeup hit her skin, not expecting it. He chuckled quietly at her and she stuck her tongue out. She let him work, humming a tune under her breath.

When he finished setting it, he picked her up and set her on her feet, turning her to look in the mirror. She examined her neck and found he actually did a pretty good job but pulled her hair to lay around her shoulders anyway.

“Good job.” She turned to him and pulled into a kiss. “But don’t do that again when I have to video call my father.” He hummed.

“No promises.” She scoffed and pushed him lightly by the shoulder. “I do believe that call is going to come through at any moment.” She rolled her eyes but quickly limped into the room to set up the laptop. Almost immediately, the call request came through it.

The smiling faces of Alice and Jasper appeared on the screen. She smiled happily at them and waved.

“Hey, you look good!” Alice chirped. Blake smiled, looking over them.

“So do both of you. And the house looks amazing.” From what she could see behind them of the living room it was decorated very nicely and definitely worthy of more than a graduation party.

“Thank you…Hey Blake, I’m saying this because we are currently the only two in the house, but are those hickeys?” Her hand immediately flew to her neck, where her hair had apparently moved away from. She shot a glare over the laptop and where Caius was chuckling.

“What?”

“Vampires have excellent eyesight, Blake. Just put your hair in front of it and it should be fine.” She did so, grinding her teeth as to ignore the flaming blush on her face.

“Please never speak of that again.” Alice was practically jumping up and down as she held onto an amused Jasper’s arm. She squealed and Blake cringed, the sound piercing her ears.

“Aww, I’m happy for you! Was it good? Was it big?”

“Alice!” Even Jasper looked ready to steer off-topic. “Don’t.”

“Sorry.” She did not look sorry at all. “Ooh! Here they come, guess the fun talk will have to wait for a later date.” Blake scoffed, shaking her head.

“how do you put up with her?” She put a smile on her face, making sure they knew she was joking.

“It’s not without difficulty.” They both laughed as Alice rolled her eyes. Then Alice jumped up, holding a finger up to her lips. “That’s your cue, stay silent.” Blake smiled and nodded, holding up two thumbs up. She smirked up at Caius who was still in the room.

Not a minute later, she could hear the voices of Charlie and Bella. When Bella came around the corner, she stumbled as her eyes landed on the screen she was presumably on.

Blake smiled and waved.

“Congratulations, graduate!” At the wide smile that spread on her sister’s face, Blake knew she made the right decision in agreeing to the call.

“Blake! Hi!”

“Hello, Bella. How’s it feel to be old?” Bella snorted and shook her head, coming closer to the camera.

“Hey Blake, looking good. How’s recovery going?”

“So far so good. This is about Bella, dad. We’ll talk about me _later._ ”

“Meet any cute Italian guys,” Alice threw in, causing her and Jasper to immediately send her playful glares.

“No, no. Only one of my children can be in a relationship at the time. House rules,” dad joked and Blake laughed, shaking her head.

“Sure, sure,” Bella said, looking at Blake. “It’s night there right?”

“Yeah.” Blake felt the approaching presence of Aro and Marcus, and couldn’t help the smile that formed. Until she saw Caius’ furious expression, then she frowned, cocking her head to the side. But that would have to wait. “Yeah, it’s night. About to eat dinner as soon as I get off the call. Sorry I wasn’t able to be there for your graduation.”

Truthfully, since Bella had blatantly insulted her, she hadn’t really been so upset about missing it. This call was great because she could simply hang up if something gets said.

“It’s fine, I’m glad we’re doing this, though.” Blake nodded, a smile on her lips.

“Me too.” She looked up right as Marcus and Aro came in. She immediately noticed the glares Marcus and Caius had on Aro and frowned, tilting her head. Caius caught her gaze and he softened, slightly shaking his head.

“I heard you’re having a fantastic party tonight.”

“I don’t know so much about fantastic yet, but there is certainly a party going on. And before you preach to me on having fun, just remember the last one.” There was no way she could forget that.

“Whatever, at least try to have fun. You just graduated! That’s a good thing. Enjoy it.” She furrowed her brows when her sister nodded. Something was bothering her. And by the glance she threw at Charlie, it probably had something to do with vampires.

“Thank you.”

“You need to go eat?” her dad asked, and she nodded. “We’ll let you go then; it was glad to talk to you.” Bella nodded and voiced her agreement.

“Okay, congrats again, Bella. And have fun!” Bella rolled her eyes but smiled and nodded. Blake waved at them before ending the call and snapping her laptop shut and threw it onto the bed. She crossed her arms and leveled the three of them with a glare, having all of them freeze, looking at her with surprise.

“Alright, out with it. What the hell happened between you three?”


	41. Chapter 41

Blake had promptly kicked all three of them out after they had hesitantly explained to her that Aro and Marcus got in a brawl after her. She had refused to see him since then, instead throwing herself into therapy every day with Anatoly.

It had been four days.

And she fucking missed them.

But she was pissed. She did not want them fighting over her.

Another thing that was gnawing at her was the fact that Demetri had seemed to disappear. Now, she’s not quite sure why that was nagging at her, but it was. It was a pressing matter at the forefront of her mind.

So, she asked Anatoly who told her immediately he did not know. So, she asked Aleksei. He had told her that the Masters had sent him and others on a mission. That’s all she got, but it seemed more important than just that.

But she’d be damned if she went to them, so she chose instead to question what it could be while she drew in her room.

Her skin was itching to get in a fight, but it was impossible. Not only was she still not in full health, but this place was full of vampires and she would lose. Quickly. And more than likely quite painfully.

She heard the door click and spun, launching her pencil.

Caius caught it, looking at her with a raised brow.

“Caius! Uh, oops?” He came closer, and handed her the pencil. She took it and scowled at him. “What do you want?”

“Demetri, along with Jane, Alec, and Felix have been sent on a mission. I believe you have the right to know where and why.” Her eyebrows shot up, and she straightened her spine, looking at him in his dark eyes. She motioned for him to continue.

“We have laws, as you know. One such law is that the creation of a newborn army is forbidden. Newborns alone are volatile, unpredictable. Creating armies of them, the only possible reason as to why is to rage war, mostly over territory. We have outlawed their creation for a multitude of reasons. Nevertheless, they are outlawed.

“I tell you all this because it has been brought to our attention of one in the states. In Washington state, precisely.”

Blake felt cold dread fill her entire being.

“They will be dealt with. I can assure you-” his voice was replaced by an intense ringing in her ears before her vision cut out.

It was Seattle, she recognized the streets. It was pouring, and a young man was walking down the road. She frowned, following him through the biting cold. All of a sudden, he was on the ground, clutching his hand and screaming. She got closer and saw the crescent-shaped marks on him.

Then the scene fizzled to show her the same man with blood-red eyes addressing a crowd of rough-looking vampires before handing over a red piece of fabric which they passed around, each taking a deep breath against it.

Blake furrowed her brows and looked at him closely.

“They oppose us. They will see us dead. Their greed steals from us! No more. We will take what is rightfully ours.”

It changed again to a dark warehouse, the same man now talking to someone that was concealed in the shadows.

“They believe me. We will destroy their clan and then we can live in peace, my love.”

Blake gasped, sitting straight up, immediately encountering rock hard hands that tried to lower her back to the bed.

“Blake, lay back. We have already determined you need your rest after episodes such as these.” She turned her head to Anatoly and reluctantly laid back, if only to alleviate the pain in her head.

She turned with wide eyes to the kings that were standing anxiously by her bedside. “Sketchbook. I know who one of the newborns is. I saw his face.” At the heated glare Aro sent Caius, it did not take a genius to figure out that Caius wasn’t supposed to tell her about it. “And my laptop, please.” Regardless, soon her sketchbook was in her hands, her laptop on the side table.

She quickly sketched him out and handed it to Aro, before opening her laptop. “What qualifies as a newborn? What’s the cutoff age?”

“For armies, their strength is highest in the first year.” So, she pulled up missing persons in Washington for the past year. She scrolled through a lot, and found him, only nearly after going past it.

Looking at him as a human picture, it was easy to understand why vampires weren’t allowed to go back to their human relatives. They looked too different to pass off as normal.

She flipped the laptop around. “His name is Riley Biers. He seemed to be telling everyone what to do, but he answers to someone else. I couldn’t see who, but he called whoever it was ‘my love’ if that helps.”

Caius already had his phone out and taking a picture of her sketch. “It does, _mio cara._ Demetri may be able to work quicker with a name.” She closed her laptop with a sigh and leaned back.

Several moments of tense silence passed.

“I did not wish to upset you-” she cut her eyes towards Aro. “I am working to overcome my apparent jealousy issues.”

“Don’t attack your _brother!_ ” He nodded, face drawn into a frown as his eyes focused on the floor. “My god, what is wrong with you? I thought you said we wouldn’t have to worry jealousy like that?”

“Blake,” Aro cleared his throat and looked up, the purple rings around his eyes more pronounced. “I understand what I said, and I realize I may have spoken prematurely. I will work on it diligently. I do not wish to upset you.”

“You hurt him.”

“he can heal.” Blake glared at him, and he winced, looking back at the ground.

“That is _so_ not the point.” Blake groaned, pressing her hands against her head at another wave of pain that decided to play pinball in her skull. Immediately, she had several pairs of hands on her shoulders pushing her down gently.

“Are you alright darling?” Marcus asked, and she shook her head, and immediately groaned. “Anatoly!” Blake shook her head quickly, all sound fading to a high-pitched whine. She hissed, pressing her head hard against the pillow under her. Then, everything faded out immediately.

Caius hissed, watching as Blake went limp. “Anatoly!” He hollered, moving closer to the head of the bed. Aro and Marcus were similarly freaking out next to him. Then next half-second, Anatoly barged back into the room. He immediately was at Blake’s side, prodding on her neck, causing the three of them to growl.

“I don’t have time for this. If I cannot examine her, I cannot find out what is wrong with your mate. Now move.” Caius growled at him, but did as told, moving anxiously over next to Marcus and Aro.

Cassandra flitted into the room, before the three of them disappeared into the back room. Caius growled lowly, clenching his fists. “We turn her.”

“Caius…”

“You saw what just happened as well as I did-” He cut off, all of them snapping their heads to the room. Blake was cursing at Anatoly. The three of them exchanged relieved looks before flitting into the room. Blake was swatting weakly at Anatoly.

“Blake, allow Anatoly to check over you. Please.” Blake’s hazy gaze focused on Aro. She nodded, and dropped her head back onto the pillow. Caius stalked over to where she was and grabbed her clammy hand in his. She slowly turned her head towards him.

“My head hurts,” she mumbled, eyes sliding shut. Anatoly asked him to step aside, after growling at him, Aro and Marcus had to drag him away from the bed so that the doctor could properly examine her.

Several hours later, Caius was sitting next to her bed, hand clasping hers gently. Her skin felt too hot. Her heart beating too fast. She had not regained consciousness since that short moment in the back room. Aro and Marcus were sitting close to him, staring at Blake intently.

“I still stand by my earlier statement.”

“Anatoly said she had merely exhausted herself,” Aro whispered. Caius tightened his grip on her hand.

“I won’t allow her to slip away from us. If her gift is causing her problems, we should change her at once.”

“And how would she feel about that? We promised her we would not turn her unless there was no other choice. As of now, there is another choice.” Caius narrowed his eyes, a low growl rumbling from his chest. They all looked at Blake, listening to her heart pound in her chest. Caius could feel venom pool in his mouth, just waiting to sink into her skin to protect her from whatever ails her.

Blake groaned, feeling like her skull was trying to rip itself into two. She tried to move her hand up to her face, but very quickly found out that wasn’t an option.

“ _Mio cara,_ can you hear me?” She slit her eyes open at the urgency in Caius’ voice. She was immediately met with the dark eyes of Caius, deep purple circles around them. She groaned and he leaned down to give her a long kiss on her forehead, his grip tightening on her hand.

“Blake,” she looked past him, blinking, trying to get her vision to be less blurry as she stared at the figures of Aro and Marcus.

“Why all you look like you just walked through hell?”

“Do you remember what happened?” Caius asked. She flinched at his venomous tone.

“Caius…” Aro warned, and Blake watched as Caius snarled over his shoulder at his brother, and Blake flinched, backing into the bed cushioning.

“No!” he turned back to Blake, cradling her chin with one hand, his other bringing her hand up to his hand where he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I mean not to scare you. However, I thought I was going to lose you today. When you collapsed, I feared the worse. I will not allow you to die. I have told you before, I will allow you to stay human to obtain your goal as long as there is a choice. Anatoly thinks that you may have collapsed from your gift. Your gift will cause you no peril once you are an immortal.”

“Caius…”

“I want to turn you immediately. If you can tell me, _honestly,_ that you are not in pain, then I will drop this topic and shall never mention it until you have relearned to walk.” Blake stuttered, eyes filling with tears as he gently caressed her cheek.

“I can’t…” She hiccupped.

“You have no idea how much it irks me for you to be in pain. You are my mate, I care for you very much and I would burn the world for you if you would want it. I cannot battle your pain. I can, however, take it away. You would burn for several days, but when you awake, you would no longer feel the pain of your injury. Your gift would not cause your collapse.”

“I’m not ready. I need to be able to do this. You _promised_ me.” Blake whimpered. He closed his eyes, but shushed her, still gently caressing her jaw.

“I hate you being this vulnerable. You cannot begin to understand the amount of worry I go through when I am not by your side. I do not understand your desire to wish to stay human. These memories of you struggling to do this will likely fade once you turn. Blake, my mate, my brave human, I am beyond proud of you. You are stronger than I could have ever thought of. It does not stop me from wishing you were an immortal so that I could know for certain that I will not lose you.”

Blake’s eyes filled with tears and she turned her head away from him, feeling a sharp pang going through her chest at his words.

“Caius. That’s enough. She just woke up, I’m sure she wants her rest. Leave her be.” Caius growled, and then she felt his presence disappear, and she jumped up, ignoring the way her head swam.

“No, don’t leave,” She gasped, the pain in her chest increasing. Marcus gathered her in his cold strong arms and shushed her.

“It is alright, darling. He has simply moved to another room. He needs to calm himself. He does not wish to harm or frighten you.” She nodded, calming slightly. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent. She latched onto Aro’s sleeve when he went to move and pulled him onto the bed with her and Marcus. He chuckled, curling against her other side. She panted; hand pressed firmly against her breastbone as if that could alleviate the pain there.

“Is he mad at me?” She asked. Marcus shook his head softly.

“Of course not. He understands. Sleep, you need your rest.”

When Blake woke up, all three of them were with her, purring softly.

“Hey, guys.” They all responded, and she turned, grabbing Caius by his face and pressing a kiss to his nose. “I don’t want you mad at me. But hey, I’m making a lot of progress. It won’t be long. And I already know that if you have to turn me, you will.” He nodded, though his eyes were still dark like last night. He captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

“I hope you work fast. I cannot stand to see you in pain.”

She nodded, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

“I’m sure Blake needs her rest. Sleep now, my dear, we shall talk more in depth, in a _civilized_ manner.” And she did.

Waking up, she and Caius were alone, and they did discuss things calmly—for the most part anyway. There were a couple of instances where she got defensive and snapped at him for being a sexist bastard and he would snap right back saying he was only trying to protect her. Then they would cool off and apologize and restart their conversation.

It took several hours, but they were able to make some progress. Which ended when Caius agreed to be more open and accepting of her way of life.

“Good, then me and you are leaving the castle tonight.”

“We are?” He raised his brows, looking at her with a small smile.

“We are.” She tapped his nose making him playfully scowl at her. “Now, please, take me to my room. I have seen the inside of this one way too often in my short time here.” He nodded, sweeping her into his arms.

“That, we can certainly agree on.” She laughed, laying her head against his shoulder. Sure, he was an ass sometimes, but he genuinely did not know any better. But he was making an effort to change for _her_ and that sent warmth through her. He had been the same for thousands of years, and because her opinion mattered so much to him, he was willing to go against his very nature in order to make things right.

After all, isn’t the secret to relationships supposedly compromise?


	42. Chapter 42

Blake dressed in comfy and casual clothes, and then opened the door and smiled at the guards outside her door.

“Martin, I’d like to ask you a few questions.” Immediately, the youthful man bowed his head, the rest taking off. She opened the door wider and he hesitated for a split second before stepping into the room. She motioned to the chairs on the side of the room, and once she took one, he took one across from her.

“Master.” He was curt, and not at all how she had seen him back on her mission.

“It’s okay, Martin. You can be yourself with me. I’d prefer it that way, actually.”

“Yes, Master.” He looked up, a twinkle in his eye. “How can I be of assistance?”

“I’d figured out of all of you, you’d be the one most likely to know. What’s something around here that happens at night? More geared to locals rather than tourists?” She kept her voice even, heart rate controlled and steady. But really, she felt kind of silly asking. But when he smiled and nodded a couple of times, she relaxed into her seat.

“Of course, I do. You have me pegged correctly, Master. If Master Caius did not inform you, then I am very impressed with your deduction skills. There’s an area a couple of blocks west that is host to a lot of vendors, street artists, and performers. There are a couple of seated areas around that usually have some form of an act in front of them.” She subtly flinched at the reminder of her inability to walk far, and she knew he saw it, and was grateful he didn’t comment.

“Thank you, Martin.” He bowed his head low, fist crossed over his chest.

“Was there anything else, Master?”

“Know any gossip?” His head snapped up, face lit up in excitement.

“Obviously.”

That was how Blake spent the next hour, laughing at some of the ridiculous things that he came up with on the spot. A couple of them, however, were not of his creation and were completely true that had Blake cackling.

When she felt Aro rapidly approaching, Martin obviously knew about it too, and snapped to his feet in a flash, head bowed low. When Aro knocked and entered, his gaze was on Martin.

“Dismissed.” Martin bowed lowly before disappearing. Blake scowled at him.

“hey, I was enjoying talking to him.” She saw him clench his jaw as he nodded. “oh, _please,_ you don’t have any reason to be jealous of him.” That cheered him up a bit, and he motioned to the seat next to her. She patted it.

When he sat, it took him a moment to look at her.

“Please believe me when I say: I care for you deeply. I sincerely did not mean to make you uncomfortable in any way. I am working diligently on remedying that.”

“I know.” She did. She knew it deeply. Didn’t make seeing him going after the others any less horrifying.

“I understand you are taking Caius out on a date?” She brightened and nodded quickly. He raised a brow, a small smile on his own face. “Go on.”

“Promise not to tell him.” She demanded. He held out his gloved hand, pinky sticking out. She laughed and grabbed his with hers, kissing her fist, him doing the same. They both looked at each other for a second before bursting out laughing.

“Sorry, young one.”

“Don’t. That was hilarious.”

“I promise.” She nodded, and told him of the place Martin described to her and he nodded, smiling eagerly, telling her of tales when he had seen it, or had seen it through others.

By the time it was time for her and Caius to leave, her and Aro had positively made up. Of course, only after he had assured her that he had apologized to Marcus.

Caius arrived in a pristine black suit, much like the one that Aro wore on his first date with her. She smiled at him and said goodbye to Aro. She came over to Caius and gave him a hug.

“You look beautiful, _mio cara.”_ She looked down at her jeans and crewneck and back at him with an indignant look. He scoffed, pulling her back to him. “You are always beautiful.” With that, he ducked his head to give her a freezing kiss. She smiled against him, her hands finding his shoulders, running over the velvet collar. She pulled away from him, giving him a dazzling smile.

“Ready?” He nodded.

“Are you informing me of where we are going?”

“Nope. Go west, though.” He nodded, and then she was swept into his arms to be raced through the halls.

Once outside, she directed him for a couple of blocks before insisting she walk herself. They walked hand in hand the way, and by the smirk he gave her, he figured out where they were going.

“This area is beautiful, and I am glad that I get to show it to you.” She blushed, looking down at the cobblestone road.

This was…odd. She had seen him do mundane things before, and then it had seemed weird to her, but seeing him out in the streets, that was another unique feeling. As she gazed back at him, his completely-perfect-self walking through the streets of a town, something everyone has done, just struck her odd.

He looked like an angel and should not be in public.

He was hers to hideaway.

She blinked at the strangely possessive thought. They had been happening more and more lately.

“Does the bond make you more possessive?”

“Our instincts do alter slightly to protect you more. Perhaps this is a topic better suited in private?” He raised a brow at her, smirking. His eyes drifting in front of them where they were finally starting to get to see more people. “I very much doubt that you would appreciate me eating on our date.” She grimaced.

“Right,” she murmured. She threw a glance over her shoulder where she could clearly feel his guard along with Afton and Renata following in the shadowed alleys. “Sorry.”

“Do not apologize. We shall talk on it upon returning to the castle, yes?” She nodded, giving him a smile. He nodded up ahead. “Around this corner is the plaza I assume we are heading to?”

“Damn you and your knowledge. Yes, that is where I wanted to take us.” He gave her a small smile and they walked into the plaza.

Blake blinked, halting her steps, seeing Caius turn to her with a tender look as she took in the place.

Sounds drifted over them, covering them in music, conversation, water from a fountain—just human things. The plaza was set in a rather historic area of town, the buildings old and aged, but beautiful. The weathered stone gave off a rather homey feel, paired with the friendly atmosphere the place had. People were milling about, some approaching a rather large bonfire on the far side, some even roasting food over the pit. Others were intrigued by the local artists and performers. There were several groups of dancers, dancing to their own music, all in different styles. There was a violinist across the way, a set of guitarists opposite of them.

In the middle stood a giant tree, towering over the already tall buildings. The branches spread out, giving the whole plaza a cocoon of green.

Fairy lights were draped over the square, from all directions, all looping over the tree branches.

Blake was looking around, eyes wide, sense telling her that she could just _relax._

She turned to Caius, a smile on her face. “Good place?” he nodded once, looking out at everything.

“What would you like to show me? I must admit, I have failed to venture here in some time.”

“How long?”

“This specific area is one of the town’s oldest traditions. Has been here through many generations.” He gave her a pointed look and she chuckled, nodding. “I am unfamiliar with these…activities.”

“Then I’ll inform you!” He raised a brow at her. She gave him a large smile, pulling him first towards food. Just because he could not eat did not mean she had to starve. With bright smiles, and Caius doing most of the talking, Blake found her hands full of some kind of ice cream thing, no idea what it was, but as soon as she took the first bite, she was in love.

They got a few looks as they sat on a bench, Blake eagerly taking the site in with her eyes, shoulder pressed firmly against Caius’.

“I think you stick out a little, fang boy.” She turned to him and he gave her a half-hearted glare. “No, seriously. You’re wearing a, what? Four-thousand-dollar suit?”

“Nine.” Blake choked on her food, pressing a fist against her chest before looking at Caius with wide eyes.

“ _Nine thousand dollars?”_ She spluttered, blinking stupidly at him. “I was joking, what the fuck? You can’t think of a better use of money?” He raised a brow. “That’s like. Way too much for clothes.”

“Then I suppose it is the best we removed the price tag from your clothing.” She narrowed her eyes on him.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Am I?”

“You know what, I don’t wanna know.” She finished her dessert and glared at him. He raised his brows, a quirk of his lip as he gazed at her.

“Come on.” They watched dancers, watched the artists while they worked, all while enjoying each other’s presence. Finally, she dragged Caius over to the far corner where a guy was set up with barrels, upside-down five-gallon buckets where he was drumming away. She smiled, watching him, bobbing to the beat.

“I admit I do not understand why you want to remain vulnerable, but I do respect your decision, Blake.” She nodded, squeezing his hand and looked up at him.

“I…look around Caius. Tell me what you see.” He raised his brows, letting out an exasperated sigh, but nodded, looking around.

“Humans. Making a lot of noise while simultaneously making plenty of art.” She chuckled, hip checking him.

“Culture, Caius. Human culture. A bunch of people, maybe friends, maybe strangers, all together in one place, just to have fun, explore, look at all the art. They’re all just _existing,_ Caius. Look, this a neutral place for all of them. The creators are creating, everyone else is enjoying what they’re making.”

Caius raised his brows, looking around.

“I was a soldier, Caius. I’m not used to giving up, surely you understand. I’m an artist as well. I like my _human_ things. I can’t just…give them up yet.”

“Like what?” She turned to him with a smile, taking a few steps, turning him to her. She stepped on his shoes, one hand wrapping around his shoulders, the other taking his hand.

“Dance with me, Caius.” She brushed her lips against his, smiling when he did. He began swaying them to the beat of the drums, the violin music going with them, providing them with a piece of very nice background music.

He swayed with her on his shoes, pressing his forehead against hers, and she stared into his dark eyes, reflecting the fairy lights above them. Everyone around them almost faded away, just them dancing in the lights, with the drums and violin giving her the most romantic dance of her life.

They returned late, and she clutched him tight. “Blake, I need to go confer with my brothers, and you need sleep. It is well past midnight.”

“I go with you…don’t leave me.” She heard him huff and smiled. He adjusted his grip on her and changed the direction he was walking. She felt it when they walked into the throne room, the presence of Marcus and Aro filling her with warmth. Caius sat on his throne and adjusted her in his arms so she was sitting in his lap, leaning against his chest.

“Darling, you look exhausted. Why don’t you retire for the night?”

“I don’t wanna leave you yet,” she mumbled, fingers latching onto Caius’ shirt. She felt herself drift in and out of consciousness before she heard the familiar voice and forced herself awake, giving a little yawn. She looked down and saw Demetri, and she jerked.

She looked with wide eyes at Caius.

“Your sister is fine.” She looked back at Demetri. When she felt Caius nod behind her, Demetri nodded back and locked eyes with her.

“The Cullens took care of the threat on their own. When we arrived at the battle site, the newborns were nothing more than cinders. All members of the coven unharmed including the huma- your sister. They claim to have a date for her change set.” She nodded, relaxing upon hearing that they were all fine.

“Did it help? His name?” he nodded once and she gave a sleepy smile, head lolling back against Caius’ chest.

The next day, she got to meet Bryan, her sparring partner, former member of special ops. She was eagerly waiting, knee bouncing. Anatoly was in the room with her, since he was her doctor and if anything happened to her, he could quickly assess her. When Bryan came through the door, looking dazzled at the castle, Blake smiled.

Buzzed black hair, strong jaw, blue eyes, he looked exactly like his photo. She stood and shook his hand.

“You must be Blake. This…is not what I was expecting.”

“it’s my husband’s place of employment. We get free room so why not. I’m still not accustomed to Italian culture and prefer to stay private,” the lie rolled right off her tongue as if she rehearsed it endlessly. She hadn’t. He visibly relaxed.

“Another American. Thank fuck.” She laughed, nodding her head.

“Yeah, same thought here.” They shared a laugh, and he dropped his duffle bag, looking her over.

“You were military?” At her nod, he hummed. “Which branch?”

“Marines.” He groaned, shaking his head. She laughed, punching his shoulder. “And I’m going to school your army ass.” He looked up, a challenge in his eyes.

“Sure, sure. You have an injury, right?”

“Wartime. Left my leg pretty much useless up until a couple of weeks ago when I got an experimental procedure done.”

“Alright, I’ll be careful of that, then. Now, come on. Show me what you got.”

She slammed him off the mat _every single time._ He huffed the last time while she laughed, feeling more and more relaxed each time. This is familiar. This is something she had missed since being discharged.

He looked up at her with a quirked brow.

“Damn!” She rolled her eyes but held out her hand with a smile. She yanked him up and he laughed, shaking his head, sweat rolling down his face.

“Ready to admit your inferiority?”

“Never.” They laughed and then packed his bag back up. “Same time next week?” She nodded eagerly. When he left, she turned to Anatoly with a wide smile.

“That was so much fun! Haven’t sparred in _so_ long.” He nodded but made her sit as he examined her leg. She winced a couple of times, but really, it was a lot better than it was before surgery. She would have been able to even _hope_ to do what she did today before.

She got Caius’ guard and Afton and Renata to escort her back to Aro’s quarters where all three of them were at. She walked into the sitting room and immediately collapsed onto Caius when he appeared in front of her. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her.

“That was fun.” She murmured. He growled lowly and she laughed, throwing her arms around his shoulders, leaning back to give him a kiss. He purred, leaning into her. The other two got closer and she laughed.

“Alright, alright. I get it. Please, let me take a shower before you guys voice your displeasure of me having a sparring partner.” Caius raised a brow, a smirk in place. “No, you’re not joining me. Now scoot.”

She only had to lay down with them to calm them down, assure them that she was fine. The next month went by similarly, once a week sparring with Bryan, every other day PT with Anatoly and Demetri, and spending a bunch of time with her three mates.

Caius had calmed down about her vulnerability while Aro had calmed his jealous tendencies.

It was nearing the end of July when an invitation to her sister’s wedding came, and Blake stood in front of them, arms crossed.

“I’m going.”

“Absolutely not. The Cullens will no doubt invite other covens and they will know about you. It is too much of a risk,” Caius hissed. She huffed, glaring back at him.

“ _Piccola,_ I am inclined to agree with Caius-” She snapped her glare at Aro who silenced, pursing his lips.

“This is my sister’s _wedding._ ”

“She’ll no doubt redo it many times over the centuries.”

“That is _not_ the point. Come on, guys! It’ll be fine. It’s not like I’d be alone,” she reasoned, getting a low growl from Caius.

“Brothers,” the growl stopped, and Blake turned to Marcus. “We have already been the cause of her missing young Isabella’s graduation. Do you honestly wish to deprive her of seeing her sister marry?” She smiled at Marcus when he stood by her. He gazed gently at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Marcus!” Caius growled. She turned glaring at him.

“No, don’t growl at him. At least _he_ wants me to be happy.” Both Caius and Aro visibly recoiled as if slapped. Sure, that was a low blow, but she wanted to go.

“ _Mio cara,_ we want you happy. Surely you see the danger…”

“With all of your guards? Plus, me having the ability to sense when shit is about to hit the fan? And Alice literally being able to see the future? Right, sure. Danger.”

“Fine, you can go.” Caius spluttered at Aro as he walked over to her. He took her hand in his gloved ones. “I do not want you to miss this. I will contact Carlisle to see who else has been invited.” She smiled and nodded, kissing his gloved knuckles.

She looked at Caius and stuck her tongue out before shrieking when he suddenly picked her up, swinging her around.

“You, my dear, will be the first-ever cause of an immortal experiencing a heart attack, I assure you,” he murmured into her ear before pressing a kiss to her neck as she shivered.


	43. Chapter 43

“Come on, come on, come on!” Five-year-old Bella yelled, jumping up and down, ballet shoes in her hands. Blake, nine, came out of the closet, glaring at her.

“Shut up! I’m coming.” Both girls were dressed in ballet uniforms. They were in their bedroom upstairs at Charlie’s house, the one that they shared when Bella came to in the summer.

“You don’t have to be so mean,” Bella pouted. “Now! Hurry up, we got to show dad!”

“This is stupid, I don’t even _do_ ballet.”

“But _I_ do. And we’ll do everything together when we are together. Now, march!” She giggled and Blake huffed, yanking her own shoes onto her feet.

“You’re going to fall and crack your head on the fireplace again.”

“Nu-uh! That was an accident. I’m all good now!” Blake laughed, shaking her head before taking Bella’s hand and leading her down the stairs. Charlie was asleep in the chair, and Blake and Bella counted down before running to jump on the chair, squealing.

Charlie jolted awake and then laughed, wrapping the two girls into a hug.

Present Blake smiled, looking over the scene. She had forgotten about this. She continued watching the little happy memory before she woke up, a smile on her face.

“Hello, beautiful.” She smiled up at Aro.

“Hi,” she murmured, turning over to bury her face in his cold chest.

“As much as I would love to keep you in bed and do unspeakable things to you, I believe you wished to pack today.” Blake blushed, eyes flying open. She tilted her head up to glare at him.

“You wish.”

“ _My_ thoughts are private.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“ugh, fine. I _guess_ I’ll leave this big bed, with plenty of room to—”

“To do what?” Caius asked, sweeping into the room. Marcus came in behind him, chuckling as he shook his head, a tray of breakfast in his hands.

“Sleep!” She flopped back down, yanking the covers over her head.

“ _Mio cara…”_ Caius said a very long sentence in Italian and despite her best efforts, she didn’t catch a single word, but he said it so very low that it sent shivers over her.

“Come out.”

“Well, I could pretend, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.” Aro laughed, and she pulled back the cover to watch him, head thrown back, eyes glittering. 

“Come now, breakfast.” She grumbled but sat up and thanked him. Eating quickly, she stared at the three of them.

“So, none of you are coming with me, right?”

“that is correct. We have business to tend to.” Caius was scowling so she pushed the now empty tray away and then clambered into his lap. He immediately pushed his face into the crook of her neck, breathing deeply against the skin there, causing goosebumps to raise.

“It’s alright…” She murmured. His hands flexed on her back.

“You’re going to be gone for two weeks…” his words halted being English and she sighed. She rubbed his shoulders.

“yes, I’ll be gone two weeks. But it’ll be _fine._ And then I’ll be right back here.”

“Could you not sound so eager to be away from us?” Aro asked as he pressed himself against her back.

“I’m excited to go back home for a little bit. Spend time with my dad and Jasper. Give a _proper_ goodbye to my dad. Well, the best one I can without it being too obvious.” Her voice wavered but she swallowed past the lump in her throat, tightening her grip on Caius. He nuzzled her neck, purring.

After a very long cuddle session and then packing, Blake was in the garage, watching with a smile as Caius threatened the guard that if anything should happen to her there will be no reprieve for their pain.

She had gotten used to his temper by now.

Martin, Octavian, and Julian were going with her, along with Demetri and Afton. She had rules that she’d been made to memorize the past week. Her crest was to stay on her person but out of sight unless something happens. If talking to any other vampires, one of her guard must be by her side.

And absolutely no disclosing that she was their mate.

At first, the heavy pressure of rejection had settled in her chest, but quickly remedied when they explained for her safety. If their world knew about her, she’d be an automatic target.

The guard disappeared into cars, and Marcus was immediately turning her to him, hands on her hips. She reached up, tangling her hand in his hair as their lips met. Marcus was always gentle, more of a brush than anything else.

Next, Caius swooped upon her, pressing her back gently against the SUV and meeting her lips with an intensity that had her flushing, pressing tightly against him.

“Brother, calm yourself,” Aro chided, though his voice was curt. She rolled her eyes, pulling back from Caius who had her lip gently between his teeth. He released her with a purr and stepped away. She looked at Aro and then reached up, brushing his face with her fingers. He closed his eyes, sighing, before bringing her closer to lay a kiss on her lips.

“Call every day. If not, I fear Caius will likely _run_ all the way to Washington.” She nodded, and with firm hugs again, she got in the car and they drove away.

She was going antsy the whole drive, the feeling of none of her mates being around her was nearly suffocating her. It was sharp and insistent in her chest, and she found herself almost telling them to turn around multiple times, but she would _not_ miss her sister’s wedding.

She slept on the flight to Washington and hurriedly changed when they landed, dressing into the nice deep burgundy floor-length satin dress. The dress hugged her upper torso but flared at her waist. The long sleeves were made of lace and had intricate patterns she hadn’t bothered to examine. She was in flats.

Heels was still a definite no go.

In the car, she texted her mates that she had landed, and they were on the way. And then received their response and one from someone else.

**_Alice:_** _Late._

She frowned, looking at the time. They still had plenty of time.

Then, of course, there was a giant wreck on the highway which greatly slowed them down. When Demetri parked at the Cullen house, Alice was standing there, hand on her hip.

“There was a _wreck!”_

“I didn’t see that I only saw you. Now come on and your seat. Bella is literally about to walk down the aisle.” She hurried with Alice to the front row on the bride’s side, taking her seat which was two over from Renée. She grimaced but stood when the music started.

Bella was _beautiful._ She was smiling, even as Blake could tell she was nervous. The dress fit her perfectly and she had this most beautiful look in her eyes as she looked up at Edward. When she made contact with Blake, she nearly fell over.

Blake bit back her laugh and waved excitedly.

Her presence here was a surprise.

The service was beautiful and Blake made her way to Bella, Demetri not too far behind her, and wrapped her sister in a hug. Bella laughed, hugging her hard.

“You’re here! I didn’t know you were coming!” Blake smiled wide, brushing off a stray tear off her sister’s face.

“I couldn’t very well miss your _wedding,_ now could I?” Bella bit her lip, silent laughter escaping her. “What?”

“You _sound_ like you’ve been in Italy.” Blake rolled her eyes, but congratulated the couple, thinking about a grenade when she looked at Edward. It was a reminder if he ever fucked over Bella again.

Then, she was captured by Jasper and Alice. She gave them both tight hugs, especially when she felt another vampire approaching.

“This is Kate Denali, one of our cousins.” Kate looked at her like food and Demetri was by her side in a blink. Kate leaned back; eyes narrowed on him.

“Kate,” Jasper warned. Kate gave her a glare before backing off.

“What’s her problem?”

“No idea.” Alice frowned; brows furrowed. “But you, _you_ look great! I told you, Jasper.” Jazz laughed and nodded. Blake laughed.

“Why thank you. You both look good yourselves.”

“Charlie! Over here!” Blake smiled and turned to her dad, giving him a big hug.

“Blake!” he laughed, patting her on her back. She smiled at him when she stepped back. His eyes widened. “Your leg better?”

“Getting there.” His eyes drifted to Demetri, eyebrows raising. He held out a hand, face falling into serious cop face. Demetri took it with a small smirk to Blake who scowled at him.

“Charlie.”

“Demetri.” Charlie flickered his eyes between her and Demetri.

“He’s my friend. He’s always wanted to see America, so I figured I’d drag him along,” Blake said. Charlie looked at her and then Demetri and snorted.

“Yeah, and I’m a three-foot-tall yeti.”

“Dad.”

“Okay, okay, I believe you. But just letting you know; at the wedding, I’m going to say I told you so.” He turned, taking a sip of champagne and Blake laughed at the look of horror which passed over Demetri’s face.

“Yeah, good luck explaining that one.” Blake took the glass of champagne from Jasper who raised his brows. “What? If you’re going to drink it, I’ll give it back.” He screwed up his nose. “yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Blake?” She downed the glass, gave it back to Jasper, and dragged Demetri by his sleeve to the dance floor, effectively ignoring Renée’s call. Demetri chuckled deeply but started slow dancing with her anyway. She raised her brow, looking into his muddy brown eyes, courtesy of the contacts. He looks better with red.

“So, how you liking America?” She joked and he laughed, shaking his head.

“Your father is well out of earshot. Honestly? It’s much better than last time.”

“Yeah, thanks for telling me about the army that tried to murder my sister.” He sighed.

“I had orders to leave immediately. Immediately does not include a detour to tell you I’m leaving,” He said, tightening his grip on her hand when she nearly fell. After so much dancing together, it was second nature to just adjust automatically.

“Too bad Anatoly isn’t here. He would love this.”

“I’m surprised we have yet to drive him mad,” Demetri said. Ever since Demetri helped with her things in her room, they were on decent terms, but when he helped her with PT. Oh _boy._ Did Anatoly _hate them._ It was rather amusing, irritating Anatoly when the two of them joke or goof around.

They danced several dances as Renée kept waiting at the edge of the dance floor waiting to ambush Blake when thankfully, the toasts started. Demetri led her to a table, pulled out her chair and then pushed her in, taking the seat next to her. Martin joined the table, sitting in front of her, giving her a smile and sliding a flute of champagne into her hand. She nodded her thanks, turning to pay attention to the toasts.

At one point, Alice came flittering over to her and pulled her up, pushing her towards the mic causing the guests to laugh. Blake scowled and swatted at her but she merely smiled and shoved champagne in her hand.

She huffed into the microphone and gave a wry smile. “Well, I guess I’m giving a speech…thanks for the warning, Alice.” Bella laughed at her table, Edward smiling gently at his wide. “Well, I can honestly say I wasn’t aware this day was going to come so soon. My little sister, all grown up. This isn’t fair. I’m about to bawl my eyes out.” She took a deep breath, blinking quickly before resuming eye contact with Bella. “You deserve to be happy, Bells, whatever path that takes you down. You’ve never let anyone tell you what to do and I hope Edward realizes this soon.” She gave a very pointed look at Edward.

“And I’ve already threatened him enough as my sister’s boyfriend and I’ll give him one night off before I resume.” Laughs echoed throughout the venue. “You treat my sister like she wants to be treated. You gave her a fairytale. It’s been rare that I’ve seen her so interested in someone and I know that you two are _meant for each other._

“From what I’ve seen, you two test each other and bring out the best in one another. You protect each other, even stupidly so.” She narrowed her eyes on Bella who ducked her head, smiling wide. “So, I know I won’t have to worry about you. I still will, though, can’t turn off military sister ready to murder anyone who dare look at you wrong. But I know I don’t have to. So, here’s to your happily ever after.” She raised her glass and Bella nodded, giving her a teary smile as she raised her own glass. Blake made her way back to her table and winced as she sat down.

“Leg?”

“ _Hip.”_ She grit her teeth, the fiery pain feeling like a serpent under her skin. “I think it’s seizing.” At once, she was in Demetri’s arms and he quietly carried her into the house and into the guest bedroom that she stayed in before. Her stuff was in here. He poked and prodded her leg gently, before rubbing gently on the offending area.

She shrieked, pain shooting up her spine, and she shot her hand out.

Not only did she have the ache in her chest, but now _this._

_“_ Hey, I need you to relax. I know it’s hard, but I need you to relax. There you go, deep breaths.”

Ten minutes later, the pain had subsided, and she shakily rejoined the party, just to see Alice dragging Bella out of Edward’s arms and into the house.

“You, with me.” She laughed but nodded, limping after them. She glared at Alice as soon as she saw Renée in the room, but dutifully helped Bella out of her wedding dress and then carefully undoing her hair so that it laid beautifully. She watched as Bella gave their mother a teary goodbye and was reminded: this would be the last time she saw Bella human.

That thought had her surging forward, wrapping her sister in a hug.

“I’m going to miss you so much. I hope you enjoy this life as much as you think you will and more.” She purposefully kept it vague, so that Renée could interpret it as married life. Bella nodded into her shoulder, holding her tight.

“You’ll be here soon, too. We’ll take it on together.” She paled, but didn’t want to ruin her sister’s night, so she merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Don’t have too much fun!” She hollered after her when she rejoined Edward. She turned to scowl at her. She laughed, leaning on a wall, taking the pressure off her leg. After watching Bella leave, she sighed, leaning her head back.

“You look like you’re doing better.” She turned to see Charlie stop next to her.

“I am.”

“Talking to someone?” Marcus’ understanding face popped into mind.

“yeah.”

“Therapist?”

“Nope.” She downed the rest of her glass. “Just talking.”

“Blake—”

“I’m not getting an Italian therapist. I’m fine. Doing much better.” And it won’t matter once she turns anyway, since her human memories will likely fade, leaving only vague impressions. 

“…okay. I’m just looking out for you.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. I promise, if it becomes needed, I’ll find someone.” He accepted that.

“And do you have a physical therapist?”

“Yeah, Demetri.” He turned to her, eyebrows raised. “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, tell me how it’s unprofessional to bring him to my sister’s wedding.”

“You brought your therapist as a date to your sister’s wedding.”

“We’re not dating!”

“Mhm.” She sighed, leaning her head back. Aro’s never letting her go anywhere with Demetri again. Jealous bat.

“What’s that?” Speaking of bats, Charlie pointed to her bat bracelet.

“Oh, a gift.”

“From…”

“a person. You know, you’re pretty nosy tonight. Trying to marry me off, too?” He choked on his champagne.

“no! Of course not.” She pat his shoulder.

When she woke up the next day, and finally pulled herself out of bed after rubbing her chest for approximately ten minutes, trying desperately to alleviate the ache there, and walked out of her room, she was greeted by all five guards.

She blinked up at them sleepily.

“What?”

“We’re not supposed to leave you alone.” She groaned, and then very slowly made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where Esme was finishing up cooking, smiling at her as she placed a plate in front of her.

“ …‘anks Esme.” She ate slowly, glaring at the counter like it could bring her mates back to her. After breakfast, she was considerably more awake, and plopped on the couch next to Jasper and leaned over him to take the remote from Emmett.

The two of them battled it out with video games, and she _still_ couldn’t beat Jasper.

“I blame being out of practice.”

“that’s no one’s fault but your own.”

“I don’t have a _tv.”_

_“_ there’s one in the game room.” Blake very slowly turned to Martin, looking at him with narrowed eyes. His smile immediately dropped at that.

“ _Game room?”_ he and Julian exchange glances. Demetri just sighed heavily.

“Yes, they insisted on having one. It is no doubt outdated by now, but it is there,” he explained. She spluttered.

“And I didn’t know about this, _why?”_

“Didn’t cross my mind.”

“Didn’t…I’m a modern _human._ Technology is always around me. I’ve been so bored I sit and watch people do paperwork at times! Yes, I would like to know there was a game room!”

“I believe the secretary also uses it as a break room as well.”

“that’s it, I’m making friends with Bianca.”

“Just don’t get too attached,” Martin added, a smirk on his face, red eyes shining as he winked. She rolled her eyes, turning back to the game. She saw Emmett tense from the corner of her eye and immediately felt bad.

She was becoming desensitized to human death, specifically those in the castle. After months there, it was expected, but still. It made her feel bad.

She spent the first day playing games, and when the whole family went out to hunt, she immediately reached for Demetri’s phone, calling Aro.

“Demetri.”

“Prettier, more awesome version,” She countered, ignoring Demetri’s mock look of hurt.

“ _Mio cara,”_ Caius breathed, and she could practically see that he had snatched the phone from Aro. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Miss you guys.” She heard a growl and a yelp before silence for a second.

“Miss you as well, darling.” Marcus now. “You’ll have to excuse the petty behavior over the other two.”

“I’m used to it. Just make sure they both stay in one piece.”

“Will do. How was the service?”

“I did not call to talk about my sister. I called to talk to you guys just to hear your voice.” She smiled and they talked about literally nothing of importance before hanging up. She threw the phone back to Demetri.

“You’re lucky you’re getting that back. Might steal it.”

“What’s mine is yours,” he said, bowing his head causing her to roll her eyes.

“My _god,_ I thought we were over the whole master/slave thing.” He picked his head up, raising a brow.

“Pardon? It’s a simple fact. If you wish something you get it.”

“I’m not a god.”

“You’re a Master.” She rolled her eyes, and flopped onto the couch at the same time she felt the other vampires approaching the house again. Esme asked her what she wanted to eat and she said she didn’t care, after reminding Esme yet again that she didn’t have to cook for her. Eating, Emmett was glaring at Demetri.

“Do you have to be her literal shadow?”

“Emmett!” Esme scolded.

“We are here to look after her and that is what will do,” Julian answered coldly. Blake swallowed thickly, looking between the members of the Volturi to her left and the Cullens to her right.

“What? Think we’ll try to hide her away or something?” Rose joined in. Blake saw Demetri bare his teeth in a taunting smile.

“You would be stupid to try.” Rose took a step forward and Blake stood, looking at her in her dark amber eyes.

“Hey, calm down. They’re just doing their jobs.”

“They’ve had you locked up since April. They could give you some breathing room.”

“I haven’t been _locked up!”_ She blinked, eyes narrowing. “I’ve been fine. You’re antagonizing them for nothing.” Rosalie looked at her for a moment before leaving the room. Blake huffed, appetite gone.

“I brought games!” Alice said, flitting into the room and putting Monopoly on the table. “Blake, you’re definitely playing. Who else is in?” Jasper, Emmett, and Martin volunteered and Blake drug Demetri into it.

Esme, Carlisle, and Julian ended up spectating, stopping Emmett from cheating. Alice could see things about to happen and would groan and then three turns later everyone else would find out.

Blake practically attacked Demetri when she saw him snatch a bill from her pile. Emmett warmed up to them after a little while, causing Blake to smile.

Carlisle and Esme were watching with smiles.

Julian was standing there, indifferent mask in place.

As time went on, with members from both covens in the same room, it was rather obvious which ones were used to pretending to be humans.

Despite being immortal, Emmett was terrible at finance and went bankrupt quickly and he groaned but backed out of the little circle. Blake was struggling but was holding her own seeing as she had both Boardwalk and Park Place. When she landed on them both, the rest of the table had thrown her glares which she had smiled at.

They had hotels on them.

Eventually, Demetri insisted she go to bed.

She tried to fight him on it, she really did, but then she fell asleep at the table. She woke with Jasper carrying her to her bed, and she gave him a quiet goodnight before falling into a restless sleep.


	44. Chapter 44

The monopoly game lasted for _four fucking more_ days. Surprisingly, Blake managed to stay in to the final two before losing to Demetri who seemed pretty smug about it. She had scowled at him for the rest of the day, only laughing when Afton spoke, still invisible, causing Emmett to jump, and subsequently, flip the couch over.

Esme scolded him about the furniture, but Blake was having trouble catching her breath as she laughed. When Afton turned visible, looking at him with a little smirk, she gave him a fist bump.

“That was top-quality entertainment.” Emmett protested but when Alice and Jasper both agreed he huffed.

The following week, Blake spent a lot of time with Charlie, her guards staying in the woods around the house or the lake when they went fishing. She enjoyed every second of it and made sure that Charlie knew how much she loved him, even when he looked at her funny but said he loved her too.

At the end of the week, Charlie went with her to the airport. She hugged the Cullens first, laughing when Jasper picked her up and spun around.

“Now, you behave yourself.”

“Only if you do,” she countered narrowing her eyes on him.

“I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Mmhm.”

She then turned to Charlie and yanked him to her. He hmphed but hugged her back. “You know I love you right? No matter what.”

“Yeah, Blake. I know. I love you too…is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just want to let you know. Weddings make you think.” She pulled back and smiled at him. Even if she still had more time left as a human, she wouldn’t be coming back. Not to see him. So, she sucked in a deep breath and nodded, giving him another short hug, an ‘I love you’ and goodbye.

When she got on the jet, she curled up on the bed, hugged a pillow to her chest, and cried.

She woke up, feeling the plane shake as it landed, jostling her, only for her to be caught by Demetri.

She could feel them.

They were here.

She jumped out of bed, ran through the plane, and was practically jumping up and down waiting for the door to open, paying no mind as Martin laughed. Once she could, she ran down the stairs and slammed her body against Caius, his arms wrapping around her firmly as he purred deeply.

Marcus and Aro verbally greeted her while they waited her turn.

At once, the pressure that had been in her chest since leaving Volterra was gone, and she sighed happily, mouthing a kiss against Caius’ neck. “I missed you. _Fuck,_ I missed you.” He purred louder, nuzzling his head into her shoulder.

She shivered when she felt his teeth brush against her throat.

“Caius…” Caius growled but then she was passed to Aro who kissed her hair, holding her close. She laughed, molding herself to him. He rattled off in smooth Italian making her sigh, gripping him tight. When she felt Marcus come up behind her, she turned out of Aro’s arms and into his. They stayed there for a moment before the for of them were ushered into a limo.

Blake was stretched out, laying in their laps, head on Marcus’ lap, feet in Caius’. She looked up at Marcus with a smile as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“I missed you guys so much.”

“missed you, as well. More than you could know.” She smiled sleepily at them. “Tired?”

“Didn’t sleep well at all.”

“Go to sleep, we’ll be by your side the entire time,” Aro said. She looked at him for a moment before nodding, falling asleep in the comforting presence of her mates.

Waking up, she was on Caius’ chest, the other two pressed firmly against her sides. She smiled, surging up and kissing Caius. He smirked against her lips, one hand on the small of her back, the other wrapped in her hair.

He purred, flipping them over, pushing her firmly into the mattress.

“Any idea how crazy we were going without you here, my beautiful little mate?” He hummed, lips brushing over her neck. She shivered, hands reaching up to tangle in his hair. He growled softly, not in warning, but in appreciation. He rolled into her causing her to gasp, eyes slamming shut. “Missed you so much, your presence has become engrained in me, _mio cara._ I do not wish to repeat this experience. It was torture.” She chuckled lightly and he smiled against her skin.

One of his hands found its way under her shirt, sending chills down her spine. He stopped his hand under her belly button, fingers under her waistband. Waiting. She bucked up, bringing his face back to hers in a kiss.

“ _Piccola,_ may I touch you?” She moved from Caius for a second, capturing Aro’s lips in a searing kiss. He stayed still for all of two seconds, absorbing her memories, before he responded eagerly.

Moving back, she pulled Caius back on top of her.

“If this is too much, we’ll leave darling.” She shook her head, giving Marcus a smile from under Caius’ arm. Caius moved to the other side and then Marcus was gently kissing her. He ran his fingertips along her jaw, and then pushed her gently down. “Relax, darling. We’ll take care of you.”

She blushed but went back into the soft bedding and Caius resumed his spot, smiling down at her gently, black eyes searing into hers.

“I would like to hear you say it.”

“Please touch me.” He grinned, leaning down to capture her mouth once again, fingers pressing past her waistband, gently cupping her. She shivered, pulling her mouth back, taking in a breath and pressing a few kisses against his jaw. He gently bit her neck, fingers running slow circles.

Her breath hitched.

It was so _cold._

She jumped when Marcus’ hand found hers, but she squeezed his hand. He brushed his lips along her knuckles at the same time Aro did on the other hand.

Her head snapped back, a moan leaving her throat.

Caius chuckled, before his fingers slipped under her underwear causing her to jerk.

“Still good?”

She nodded, pressing against him.

“She very much is good,” Aro said, and she blushed, realizing her predicament. “My love, you have three mates and we all care for you very much. You have no need to be embarrassed. If you wish to be alone with Caius, we’ll leave then.” She thought it over for a moment, as everyone ceased their movements. “Very well, we’ll stay.” At once, everyone began moving again and she moaned.

Caius slipped a finger inside her and she hissed. His thumb swiped a circle over her clit and she bucked causing Caius to chuckle deeply, pressing firmly against her.

She was a sweaty mess of limp limbs as Caius, Marcus, and Aro all massaged her limbs. She opened her eyes, giving them a small smile.

“Are you all going to tell me there’s no need to reciprocate?” They all nodded.

“Turn over, _mio cara,_ let us rub your shoulders.” She did so, albeit slowly, her limbs still shaking a little, and then hard fingers were wringing the knots out of her muscles. She groaned, relaxing into the pillow.

“Relax, darling,” Marcus murmured, fingers rubbing over one of her arms softly.

She almost had drifted back to sleep when Caius moved. She gave a groan of disappointment and turned to look at him. He laughed and kissed her.

“I have work to do. I shall return within half an hour.” Aro said he had to go with Caius, and she gave both of them long kisses before they left. She smiled sleepily at Marcus before standing, sighing at how loose everything felt. She held out a hand and he took it, standing. She pulled him to the bathroom and laughed when she saw his incredulous expression in the mirror.

“Do you want to shower with me?” He smiled, eyes sparkling and she laughed, pulling him with her.

She kept drifting into his arms in the shower, to just _hold him._ She’d missed them so much, and now that the ache was gone, she still felt like she’d never let them go again. She knew he noticed something, cause he would frown slightly, but hold her close and rub her back and shoulders, murmuring quietly in Italian until she’d pull back again, resuming the shower.

When they got out, he wrapped her in a fluffy towel and set her on the counter, looking at her seriously.

“What is on your mind?” she shook her head. When he quirked a brow, she quickly looked to the floor. “Darling…”

“Nothing.”

“Blake, please. We have discussed this. You cannot just keep something that’s bothering you.” She frowned, swinging her feet a little.

“Did it hurt you guys when I was away?”

“…Yes.”

“It hurt me too. This constant pressure in my chest. It never stopped.” He tilted her head up and kissed her forehead.

“You should have told us.”

“Why? You couldn’t come with me and I didn’t want you guys trying to make me stay.”

“We would have called more, darling. We did not know the bond would affect you like that.”

“How can the other two just walk away if this is supposed to be stronger for you? I feel like if any one of you walk out of my sight my heart might just stop.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t understand. How…”

“Shh,” He cooed into her ear, pulling her against his chest. In a flash, she was on the bed, blankets tucked around her. Another second passed and Aro’s and Caius’ presence was back in the room, them firmly pressed against her too.

She sobbed, clutching tighter to Marcus.

“Why…why am I acting like this?”

“We left you, I am sorry _piccola._ I thought you would be fine with Marcus. It’s okay. We’re here.”

“We have been apart from one another, darling. The bond is just reacting to it. We shall not leave you. You are here, with us, and we with you.” She calmed down significantly, the swirling of emotions in her chest slowing down.

She never really fell asleep, but it was pretty close, as she laid in their arms, listening to them murmur in different languages and feel them purring deep in their chests. All day, she stayed there, and when they asked if she wanted to eat, the very _idea_ upset her stomach, which Aro immediately told the others no.

The next day, she woke up with a fever. Turns out the day before was a mix of being away from them and getting sick.

Fantastic.

But watching the three of them anxiously stand back while Anatoly examined her was quite the sight. Anatoly said he believes she has the flu, which prompted a

“What? It’s not flu season!” getting horrified looks from Caius and Marcus.

“ _You have a season for a specific sickness?”_ was one question and another was: “ _Aro, why didn’t we know about this?”_

She felt terrible all day, and refused to eat anything until chef Alberto personally brought a bowl of soup up to her, which she immediately asked him what the hell he was doing, _trying_ to get sick?

Nonetheless, she ate half the bowl before grouchily burrowing back into the covers. She was freezing and burning up, and she had a headache and couldn’t stop her nose from running and was an absolute _disgusting mess_ but they wouldn’t leave her alone.

Even when she said they didn’t need to mess with her gross human stuff, they stayed.

And she _hated it._

When she got sick, she locked herself in her room and didn’t come out until she wanted to. She wanted to suffer in silence and Aro _knew_ this and was still doing this. She was sure future her would think it sweet, but she currently wanted to rip their heads from their shoulders.

Any time she woke from her almost constant sleep drenched in sweat, soon one of her mates would be cuddling up to her, and she’d fight him at first before relaxing and cozying up to him.

Another day passed by and she woke up in the middle of the afternoon absolutely _boiling._ She groaned, shoving the sheets off of her, and looked around, frowning as she was met by sunshine. The curtains were drawn back, windows open, letting the cloudy weather light the room, and a nice cool breeze sweep through the room. She moved over, on the cooler area of the sheets and flipped her pillow over.

The door opened and she turned. Marcus gave her an apologetic smile. “I was hoping to back by the time you woke up next. Here, water.” She took the bottle from him and drank a few sips before giving it back, laying her head back down. “Are you hot again?” She nodded. He lifted the covers and she picked her head up as he slid in, and then she laid her head on his chest and immediately frowned. She sat up, coughing the whole while, before unbuttoning the cloak from around his shoulders. He sat, taking the cloak off.

“I can do that, lay back down.”

“Can you take your shirt off?” He raised a brow but nodded once, fingers expertly gliding down, moving buttons as he went. He pushed it off and laid back down, and she collapsed on top of him, pressing her face right onto his cold chest, his crest tightly held in her hand.

She fell asleep again soon after.

She woke to a growl and she jumped.

“Go back to sleep, _mio cara.”_

“What’s wrong?” She murmured, rubbing her eyes even as Marcus gently rubbed circles on her back.

“Your father is calling,” Aro said. She held her hand out and soon her phone was in her hand. She almost drifted off waiting for it to ring but it did so before she could, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She groaned, answering it.

“Blake—are you okay?”

“I’m sick. What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve seen a ghost.” Guess this was it, this was the time where she’d have to act and pretend like the news that he’d never see Bella again was a shock. Wouldn’t be hard at the moment, considering she felt like death.

“God, please tell me you don’t have some rare thing too?” Was her sickness that bad or did she hear that wrong?

“What?” She croaked.

“Bella got something real bad sick in South America. She’s in quarantine. I talked to her. She sounds awful…” the words started ringing and she dropped the phone. If she sounded bad…then she was actually sick? What the hell? She thought they were supposed to turn her the moment they got where they were going. How?

She vaguely heard Aro speaking on the phone as Marcus pulled her close.

“Darling, calm down. Whatever it is, the venom will take care of it. Your sister will be alright.” She nodded shakily but asked for her phone back. She called Bella.

No answer.

She called Carlisle. No answer.

She called Edward. No answer.

The same thing happened with all of them. What? They abandoned her again? When her sister was _sick?_

“they may have already changed their numbers for their next cover, _piccola,_ I know Jasper would not abandon you again.”

Soon, her phone rang, an unknown number. She answered it.

“Bella?”

“Is she supposed to call _you?_ Let you know to come back to become one of them too?” Jacob’s voice growled and all three of her mates tensed. She shushed them when she heard Billy bark at Jacob.

“I’m sorry about him, Blake—”

“Put her on speaker!” Paul’s voice rang from the background. A second passed.

“You’re on speaker Blake. We have a few questions.”

“I’ll answer them the best I can,” she said, blinking tears out of her eyes at his harsh, straight-to-the-point tone.

“Are you sick?”

“yeah.”

“Is Bella actually sick?” Jacob snapped, getting a chorus of ‘ _Calm down!’_ from Sam and Billy. “What? It’s why we’re calling her. To…”

“To see if you have any right to go after her? Jacob, you _can’t._ You care about her and that won’t change. But no, as far as I know, she’s actually sick. I haven’t been able to get in touch with any of them,” she said, ignoring the way Marcus’ hand had stopped rubbing circles on her back the moment Jacob talked. And he stopped breathing which he did to let her match his.

“it’s the same thing we’re trying to tell him.”

“But then what about Blake?” Jacob hissed. “Blake doesn’t want to!” She winced.

“Jacob, you need to _calm down._ Blake is at no fault of the Cullens. You know that. Blake, don’t worry about her. She’s safe. The Cullens are no threat.”

“Good. I’m going back to sleep.” She hung up and dropped her head on Marcus’ chest.

“There are _others_ that know?” Caius growled, sending all the hairs on the back of her neck on end.

“not human.”

“They’re shifters, Caius. They are supernatural and thus are laws of secrecy do not apply to them,” Aro said and Marcus continued breathing and rubbing soothing circles on her back. Caius snarled and she flinched, bringing her hands up to press against her ears.

“…loud,” She mumbled. She heard Caius apologize but then she was out like a light again.

She got better after a weak and she demanded to go to the gardens, refusing to spend another damned minute in bed. They made daily strolls through the garden now. Even if her leg was acting up, one of them carried her.

Another week after that, she got a call from her now immortal sister.


	45. Chapter 45

She’d just sat down in the library for language lessons from Marcus when her phone started ringing. She’d started carrying around while waiting for updates about Bella.

“Hey, Blake.” She didn’t recognize the voice and her brows furrowed.

“who is this?” She heard a light little laugh and she blinked hard. “Bella!” Marcus was gazing at her with clear amusement and she stuck out her tongue.

“Yep. That’s my name.”

“Holy shit, you sound _so_ different. How’s it feel? How are you doing? Challenge Emmett to an arm wrestle yet?”

“She did the last one and won.” She smiled.

“Hey, Jasper!”

“ma’am.”

“We are going to have _a long fucking chat_ about why you haven’t answered your phone.”

“It feels…natural. Like I was meant for this. I’m great,” Bella quickly intervened. Marcus quirked a brow.

“Your thirst?” He asked.

“uhh…who’s that? I don’t recognize…”

“That’s Marcus,” Carlisle supplied.

“Oh. Hi. My thirst is fine.”

“Fine? Ha! She—” Emmett was interrupted mid-sentence. Marcus gave a single chuckle.

“Yes, newborns have quite the appetite, don’t they? I would be thoroughly impressed if your thirst was truly ‘ _fine’_.”

“Right…Well, I was calling to let you know that yes, I was sick. But I’m turned now.”

“And…” Carlisle prompted.

“Oh! Right, since Marcus is there, to thank the Volturi for the necklace. It is very beautiful.” Blake furrowed her brows at Marcus, and he gave her the look that said he’d explain.

“Of course, Aro did enjoy selecting it for you.”

“We’d like extra time before dealing with Blake as a newborn,” Rosalie said and both Blake’s and Marcus’ eyebrows quirked.

“Oh…why?”

“One newborn is enough work, don’t you think?” She snapped and Esme scolded her.

“You are quite right. Blake is staying with us; you do not have to worry about that.” She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“Wait! What does that mean—” Marcus took the phone and hung up, putting it aside. Blake sighed at him.

“Was that necessary?”

“Young Alice and Jasper may not have told them of our bond, which was wise of them, but it does negate the fact that we have one. You won’t be returning to them the way they think. If you ever go to them it shall be as a visit.”

“I know, but you probably just gave her a heart attack like that.”

“Her heart no longer beats; it will be fine. Now, lo italiano.” She groaned but once again tried to hold conversation with him with decent pronunciation.

She failed, of course.

Late on the week, she called Jasper and yelled at him, and maybe cried a little bit about why he hadn’t answered his phone.

“We were busy.” The lie was like a slap to the face.

“Jasper. You’re vampires. You don’t sleep. Why didn’t you call me?”

“It’s more complicated than that, Blake. I got to go but I’ll talk later.”

“Wait, Jasper—” he hung up. She had glared at the wall for ten minutes before just _screaming._ The three kings, and her entire guard was in there immediately, seeing her panting and glaring at the wall.

Once she had convinced her mates that she was fine, just angry, they scolded her for screaming. They did look rather terrified so she promised to try to not do it again.

The months seemed to blend together, and she was rather disappointed that September was _just_ as hot as August when in Forks it wouldn’t dare be near the same temperature. She pulled Aro and Caius on dates to stroll in the city usually once a week with one or the other. Marcus was comfortable going into town, thought he might snap and take a bite of someone, so they tended to just peruse the garden together. Or they’d sit in the library and just _talk._

Of course, those activities weren’t just for the two of them, she did it went the other two as well.

And therapy was going well, and Anatoly figured that maybe another surgery would be beneficial. She still had very bad flare-ups and sometimes they were nothing, others she felt like being put through a meat grinder would be less painful.

She sparred with Bryan, and they quickly became friends, much to Caius’ displeasure. _‘I’ll eat him.’_ He said once after Bryan left, Caius taking her and dumping her in the shower. ‘ _you smell like him and I_ hate _it.’_

Jasper and Bella each called about once a week, way down from how often she _used_ to talk to Jasper. At first, it really bothered her, but as time went on, she just got sad, but learned to look over it. They were busy, she was sure.

She couldn’t even make that lie sound convincing to herself.

Charlie never mentioned Bella again, which was…concerning, to say the least, and Blake had to actively talk Caius down from going to Forks himself to see if the Cullens revealed themselves to someone _else._ She figured they probably made up a good lie. Caius wasn’t buying it, so she threw the fact that they’d send someone _soon,_ and that they would see that everything was fine. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell Charlie.

Though, she only hoped that, she wasn’t sure if it was true and guessing by the way they were all distancing themselves from her, it didn’t seem so good.

When Halloween came, she insisted they dress up, and they refused. Martin agreed though. So the two of them spent Halloween night with the receptionist, Martin as Frankenstein’s monster and Blake as Dracula.

Caius looked like he was going to go hunt down anyone who dare put the idea of Dracula into her head when he saw her. Aro merely said ‘ _of course’_ like he’d already given up all hope for her. Marcus had looked at her and immediately went back to reading, his lips barely pointing down.

November, she insisted on cooking Thanksgiving food, and Alberto had readily agreed wanting to ‘learn all the American feast food’.

He was rather disappointed when she said turkey, ham, mac n’ cheese, and mashed potatoes, saying that neither her nor Charlie were good enough cooks to do much else. So, they looked up stuff and ended up, successfully, making a Thanksgiving feast.

When the kings came down at lunchtime, looking at the kitchen which was _full_ of food, Caius spluttered. “All this for you?”

“We’re sharing with the human staff.” His eye had twitched when she said that and Alberto and her shared a little smile. They spent the day with human staff, her hiding her crest to not get them to look at her with fear. They laughed and ate, and laughed some more. And ate some more. She insisted.

And drank a good bit. Of course, it was wine, which is all she’d been drinking here, and she still wasn’t a big fan of it.

The day after though, she woke with a killer headache.

“Here you are.” She gratefully took the aspirin from Marcus and swallowed it down, groaning and burying her face into the covers. “You wished to see the snow, did you not?” She jumped up, looking out the window. She smiled at seeing the overcast, snow on the window seals. She jumped up, going into Aro’s closet to put on some warm clothes, clothes from home, and then she was excitedly going outside with Marcus and Caius. Aro agreed to handle the paperwork for the day.

She laughed and tilted her head back, sticking her tongue out. Caius sighed and held out his hand. She watched in awe as snow landed on his hand and stayed there. She snatched his hand, bending over it to examine it.

“That’s so cool.”

“You could…” he trailed off at the look she gave him. She huffed, watching as her breath fogged.

“Make a snowman with me?” Both Caius and Marcus exchanged incredulous looks. “come on, it’ll be fun.” It took a lot of convincing, but she did eventually convince them to help her build a snowman. She watched both of them, hair sticking to their hair and faces, and thought that they looked positively _radiant._ Their cloaks were covered in snow, and they didn’t wear anything different than normal, their hands exposed.

She was freezing and they just got to stand there like it was fine dandy.

Well, not freezing, but still cold. It wasn’t yet anywhere near how cold Forks could get. She flopped in the snow, giving them a heart attack and she laughed, explaining the concept of a snow angel. Caius outright refused but Marcus gave in and laid next to her. They made snow angels together and then she just watched them for a minute.

“You guys are so beautiful.”

“you are as well.” They both glared at each other as they jinxed and Blake giggled.

“Are you too cold?” She shook her head. “I wish to show you something, hold on.” Caius wrapped his cloak around her like a blanket and then held her against his chest. That instantly made it colder, but she didn’t say anything as he took off running.

Her teeth were chattering when they stopped, and then Marcus was draping his cloak around her as well. Caius was gone in a blur, standing on top of a stone fence. Marcus lifted her by the waist, and Blake squealed. Caius took her into his arms, arranging her to sit with her legs hanging off the other side.

“Oh wow.” They were overlooking rolling hills that were covered in snow, the light peeking out from behind clouds in rays, refracting off the snow beautifully, framing what trees were there.

She sat there, gloved hands holding Marcus’ and her head on Caius’s shoulder until Caius announced that she was way too cold and insisted on taking her back inside. As soon as they were back in, Demetri appeared saying Aro was asking for one of them. Seeing as Blake was currently in Caius’ arms, Marcus agreed.

“Get her warmed up, Caius. I do not believe her lips should be blue.” She gave Marcus a kiss before they disappeared into different directions. Caius took her to her room, for once, and she stripped out her clothes, stepping into a scalding shower, wincing at the temperature difference. She heard him come in and put things on the counter and asked her preference for a warm drink.

When she was significantly warmer, she stepped out into the bathroom and dried off, putting on the sweatpants and t-shirt Caius set out for her, along with a fresh cloak of his. She put it on, breathing in his scent as she did. She went into her closet, found a pair of regular socks, as opposed to the wool ones Caius picked out, and put them on.

She curled up under a blanket on the couch when Caius returned with a cup of hot chocolate. She smiled at him and thanked him.

“can you get us a sketchbook? I’d like to draw with you.” He was gone for about ten seconds before returning, giving her everyday sketchbook and he sat down with one of his own. He gave some distance between them, realizing that she was still cold and his close proximity would not help.

She sketched him from memory, something she’s done no less than a thousand times over her life, and tried to draw the snowflakes on him but kept getting them wrong. By the time she was on that point, she was significantly warmer, and shuffled over to lean against Caius’ arm. He kissed her forehead as he continued sketching, like they had done many, many times over the months. She peered over him and her heart melted, eyes watering.

It was of her, when she threw her head back to catch a snowflake on her tongue. He had her looking so _perfect_. He looked down at her and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” She shook her head, smiling at him through watery eyes.

“Nothing. It’s just beautiful.” He sighed lightly, taking both sketchbooks and pencils, and laying them on the table before gathering her into his arms.

“You are very beautiful, my precious love. And I understand that you do not see yourself that way and it aches me that you cannot see yourself the way I see you.”

“I’ve scars.”

“So do I.” she blinked. “Many. They do not negate your beauty, Blake.”

“You’ve been so eager to get me to turn…” he looked like he got punched in the gut and she felt bad immediately. She _knew_ that’s not why, but sometimes she couldn’t help the thoughts from creeping in. Especially when she had dreams of Athenodora, because her beauty could not compare.

Caius kissed her on her nose, making her give a small smile. He held her closer to his chest. “No, that’s never been my thinking, _mio cara._ I have only wanted you to turn so that you could better protect yourself. Never to change the way you look.” She swallowed thickly and nodded.

“I _know._ It’s just my stupid brain makes me doubt you guys sometimes. I know you don’t care.”

“Let me tell that brain of yours that I believe every part of you is beautiful. This part,” he kissed her neck. “and this one,” he kissed her jaw. “this one,” a kiss to the temple. “This one,” to her eyelids having her laugh. “this one,” he said, amusement in his voice as he kissed the tip of her nose. “this,” He carded his fingers through her hair and brought their lips together. She sighed, relaxing into his arms. She pressed closer, and the next second she was on her back on the couch, and she giggled.

“This part as well,” he whispered against her ear before nibbling lightly on the soft spot behind her ear. She hissed, bucking up into him.

“More.” He chuckled huskily and littered her neck with gentle bites as he rolled his hips against her core. She reached for his trousers, and the next second she was alone. She blinked, sitting up. Caius was standing a little ways away, back to her.

“I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize. If you want to make love with me, I am more than happy to oblige. But I am afraid it will have to wait till tomorrow.” He turned around, swallowing. His eyes were pitch black, a little differently than normal. Tomorrow was feeding day, and they didn’t eat as often as the Cullens, so she imagined she could understand. She looked up at him.

“You did nothing wrong.” He came forward, sitting on the table and taking her hands in his. “Remember: we move at your pace. If you’re ready then you are ready. I certainly am. I just would appreciate having freshly fed. I have never done this before. With the human…” He trailed off, eyes hardening.

“You’ve never fucked a human unless you were going to eat her?” She supplied and he grimaced but nodded. “Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t eat me. And same thing, remember, if you don’t want to,” At his heated glare she laughed.

“I can assure you, there is not a single doubt in my mind about whether or not I want to. I absolutely do. I merely wish to be well fed.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “okay then. But get your butt back over here and kiss me again.” He smirked and stood, towering over her. He stayed there for a second until she swallowed thickly and then he was leaning down, capturing her in a kiss and pressing her against the back of the couch.

When they parted, she smiled, pressing her forehead to his. “Now, can you show me how to draw individual fucking snowflakes?” he silently laughed but picked up her sketchbook and gave it to her along with her pencil before sitting next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, and began coaching her through the process.

When she was done, it actually looked pretty good. She smiled, leaning up to give him a thank-you kiss. When they parted, she looked at the door, feeling Aro and Marcus approaching. They came in and Aro frowned.

“You aren’t normally in here.”

“boo-hoo.” She smiled at him and he came forward, glove hand outstretched. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed it, pulling him down for a kiss. She was grateful he still did it, after months, allowing her to pick and choose when she let him into her head, but he should’ve known she’d want to share the snow day with him. And when his hand tightened on hers, she realized she also just showed him what happened with Caius. When they pulled back, she saw Caius smirking at him and flicked the side of his head.

Caius huffed, a playful growl reverberating from his chest. Aro swallowed and moved to sit in a chair. Marcus looked between the three of them with a quirked eyebrow before sitting down and reaching out for her sketchbook in her lap.

“May I?” She handed it over to him, them working with her over the past couple of weeks to get more comfortable sharing her art with them. He looked at it, smiling. “It is very beautiful.”

“Caius had to help.”

“I was merely teaching, _mio cara._ That work of art is all your talent.” She blushed, ducking her face to hide behind her hair. He tucked in behind her ear and laid a kiss to the side of her head. “You have beautiful talent, and I will come to let you believe it.”

That was another thing they’d been working on as a group: get Caius to give actual comments. He only gave them to her though.

They spent the rest of the evening chatting idly, Blake asking only the basics of how their day went. Sometimes it went bad, but she knew this wasn’t one of those days. They always just stayed silent, still like the vampires they are when they have bad days.

To the rest of the world, they were ruthless, and while _yeah_ that is true, it still affects them to an extent.

She leaned onto Caius’ side and he gently lowered her down till her head was in his lap and he played with her hair as they talked. It was nice.

It was _domestic._

And that sent shivers through her, a fantasy of impossibilities running through her head, of her and her three mates, and the pitter-patter of little feet.


	46. Chapter 46

Blake smiled, relaxing against the trunk of a tree, closing her eyes as she felt the cool autumn breeze sweep by her. She sipped her champagne, looking over the pastures in the distance. She turned when hands covered her eyes.

“Hey, Caius.”

“Hello, _mio cara.”_ She turned as he released her and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, topping off her glass. “How has the day been?”

“Good, just been out here all day. He finally decided to go off on his own so I figured I could have a little champagne.”

“You certainly have earned it. He looks like he’s enjoying himself.”

“He’s trying to catch birds,” she snorted.

“I do believe he’ll be disappointed.” She and Caius exchanged smiles.

“I’m sure. Go on, he’s missed you.” He furrowed his brow.

“He saw me three hours ago.”

“That’s a lifetime for him,” she said, and nodded towards their apple trees. Just as Caius stood, he smiled wide, looking out.

“Daddy!” Caius ran to catch the little boy as he ran full blast away from the apple trees. Caius swooped him into a hug before lifting him into the air and spinning. Blake laughed, biting her lip as she watched them.

“How has my brave knight been? Treating mommy right?” He nodded his head vigorously as Caius held him against his hip.

“No bad guys will ever come near her!”

“You’re the strongest knight in the whole world, my son.” The little boy smiled brightly and looked at Blake before leaning to whisper in Caius’ ear. Caius smirked. “My dear wife, would you like to join us for a quest?”

“Ooh, a quest. How could I ever turn down such an offer, my king?” She giggled, putting her glass down, and jogged over to her two boys. “Will Marcus and Aro be joining us?”

“Well _duh,_ they’re kingsmen! Come, my queen, we must find and destroy the evil Romanian dragons! Gurr!”

_“Mio cara.”_ She grunted, moving her head. “ _Mio cara_ , wake up.” She did, opening her eyes, and looking straight into Caius’ concerned eyes. She sat up.

“What?”

“You were crying.” She frowned and brought her hands up to her face. She certainly had been crying.

“Was it a nightmare?” She shook her head.

“No…they’re good tears, I think.”

“Was it a vision?” She turned to Aro who was kneeling next to Marcus in front of her.

“No, just a dream. I think it was a good one.”

“You think?” Caius asked and she nodded, turning to him.

“It’s just something I have never thought about before. It doesn’t matter. Just a dream.” She smiled at them, hoping they would just drop it. But her heart was still in that dream, with that little boy.

But it was _fine._ She didn’t want kids…right?

Well. It didn’t matter if she did anyway.

They coerced her into moving from the couch and into the bed, and she immediately was thankful for it when her back cracked immediately upon standing. She curled up against them and then fell back to calm sleep.

That afternoon, she walked with Aleksei to Caius’ office, everyone else was feeding. She had worked all morning drawing three separate pieces of her dream last night, it had been of when she returned from Bella’s wedding, and all three of them had greeted her of the airport. So, she drew herself hugging each one of them and then took each drawing to their respective owner’s office.

Aro’s was first, then Marcus’ and now, Caius’. Once inside and having placed the drawing on his desk, and stealing yet another one of his pens, Aleksei frowned, eyes snapping up to hers and she froze. She’d never seen Aleksei look at anyone in the eye.

“Something is wrong.” He came into the office and furrowed his brow.

“Someone has been in here.” She felt dread settle over her and she inched closer to him. He was immediately in front of her, one hand on her back. “The feeding should be over soon, come, I am taking you back to Aro’s chambers.” She nodded and then she was in his arms as he ran. He pushed her into the bedroom and then closed the door, staying right outside of it, no doubt in a crouch. 

She felt when the other guards came back, and then Octavian was in the room with her, Aleksei’s energy fading away.

“I will be staying with you until the situation is resolved.” She nodded quickly.

Several minutes passed before Caius, Marcus, and Aro appeared in the room. She looked at them with wide eyes.

“It was nothing to worry about. It was a member of the lower guard he had not come across that I sent to retrieve something for me,” Caius said, and she sighed, slumping in relief, moving from behind Octavian to go and hug him.

“Thank fuck.”

“As if anyone could get that far into the castle undetected.”

“Don’t jink it,” she murmured, holding him tightly against her.

“ _Piccola,_ I hardly think that anyone—” She picked her head off of Caius’ chest to glare at Aro.

“Shut it, Batsy, let me calm down.” He chuckled but nodded and she plopped her head back on Caius’ chest.

“Would you like to stroll in the garden?” she nodded and then she was in Caius’ arms as he zipped outside. The weather was snowy, again, and she yipped, bundling closer in on herself. Caius set her down and wrapped his cloak around her.

This one was thicker than the usual ones.

They walked hand in hand over the winter wonderland before Blake nodded her agreement to feeling better. He took her back to her room where she hopped into a boiling shower.

Changing into sweats he gave her again, she walked out to see him sitting on the edge of the bed. He held his hand out for her. She took it, sitting next to him.

“What bothered you?” She thought for a moment, trying to find words to explain it.

“I think it was the fact that Aleksei didn’t recognize whoever it was and that they had been in _your_ space. Someplace where you are supposed to be safe.” He nodded and then smirked at her.

“I am perfectly fine. And so are you.” She smiled, leaning into him to give him a kiss. He purred gently against her, hand finding the back of her head. She smirked, pressing against him. In the next second, she was flat on her back and she looked up at him with wide eyes, breath coming out in pants, the conversation from the day before flooding to the forefront of her mind.

She blushed but kept eye contact with him. He gently rubbed his hands over her arms, and then her sides, all the while holding his eyes to hers. His fingers graced the hem of her shirt.

Her breath caught and he quirked a brow, lips tilting upwards.

“Was there something you needed?” she scowled at him.

“Stop being so cheeky and take the damned shirt off.” He laughed, but did that, her sitting up to help. His eyes ran over her frame slowly and she felt the blush spread to her chest. He leaned down, gently pressing his lips to hers.

“More?”

“ _Yes.”_ Her hands surged to his button-down, fiddling with them as she finally got the first three done when he caught her hands. She froze.

“This is fine with me; I need to hear you say it though.” She quirked a brow leaning back to look at him. There was no amusement, pure seriousness on his face and she nodded, swallowing back a cheeky come back.

“I want this. I want you.” His eyes searched hers for a moment before he nodded, but he did not release her hands.

“I have gruesome scarring on my torso,” He said. She saw the tightening of his jaw, the little squint to his eyes, and she pushed herself up to cup his jaw.

“You’re beautiful.” He purred against her hand and then released hers. She continued with the buttons, trying to keep eye contact but found quickly that she needed to pay all her attention to the buttons.

Undoing the last one she let out a little cry of victory. He quirked his brow, chuckling.

“Oh hush, you three wear like a bajillion buttons.” He held a finger to her lips, looking over his shoulder.

“How about a change of scenery? This is a bit too close to the guards for my liking.” She blushed but nodded. Soon she was on another bed, smooth cold sheets pressed against her back. She turned her head, trying to place where she was.

The mahogany bedframe was extravagant, framing the very large mattress. She could see a few weapons on the wall and she turned back to Caius.

“Your room?” he nodded. “I refuse to think about why you and Aro had beds.” He laughed, and she propped herself up to kiss lightly on his neck. He purred and she pushed his loose shirt off his shoulders.

She lowered herself to her back, Caius following her, and she trailed her hands along his back, feeling ridges across it, no doubt scars. Her breath caught in her throat when her hand skirted his side. They were deep, jagged, and felt large.

“it was a long time ago.”

“ _who did this to you?”_

_“_ I can assure you, they’re long dead.” She huffed and pulled back to glare at him. He looked at her softly and she nodded. But not before she ducked down, brushing a kiss over one of them, causing his hand to flex over her back. He brought her back up to his lips and lowered her back down before he moved to take her sweatpants off.

“Still good?”

“Yes.” He smiled a full smile, teeth shining in the little light of the room. Blake bit her lip and looked pointedly down. “You’re overdressed.” He smirked wide, moving to stand. Her eyes caught multiple crescent shape scars on his upper arms, and his chest and torso, but none as gruesome as the giant gashes on his side.

Her sixth sense thing was telling her to find whoever did that and _destroy them._

Such a different reaction compared to when she saw the crescent scars on Jasper.

“Well, we certainly cannot have that, now can we.”

“Nope.” She laughed lightly when he smiled, and then his pants were off, and he was back on top of her. His cold legs were firm against her as he pressed a knee to the apex of her thighs. She shook and he chuckled against her skin.

“Feel good?” She nodded, moaning. “It will only go up from here.” She shivered and nodded. He kissed a path down her jaw, fingers moving to the waistband of her underwear. She lifted her hips and he moved to take them off. Immediately she flushed, looking away and he was back looking over her, tsking at her as he turned her head back to look at him.

“You need not be shy with me, my love.”

After a thorough makeout session to ease her, she reached for his underwear and he took the hint, the offending clothing gone in a flash. Longer than Marcus. Oh boy.

His hand skirted across her hips, gently caressing her scars before hovering above just where she wanted him, and she whined impatiently.

“You sure?” he murmured against her lips. She kissed them and nodded.

“yes.”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“No.” His whole body locked up, and he moved his head back, looking at her in her eyes. She raised her brows.

“Are you—would you not want Aro to be your first? He would know everything. What you need the most…”

“Caius,” she reached out, her fingertips running softly against his jaw. “I want you, Caius. I know you won’t do anything with the intent to hurt me.” He searched her eyes for a moment and then nodded.

He gave her a kiss before rattling off in Greek, pressing her firmly into the mattress, linking his hand with hers. He stared into her eyes as he pushed in.

She was thoroughly and utterly fucked in the best possible way. After cleaning her up a bit, he took her into his arms. Caius was holding her to his chest rubbing idle patterns on her back.

“Did I hurt you?” he murmured. Even though his voice gave nothing away, she could just _tell_ that he was worried about it. Worried that he tried to treat her like his ex-wife. She shook her head, also verbally denying it. He exhaled, giving her a little squeeze. “Did you enjoy yourself?” She snorted.

“ _Very.”_ He quietly laughed as well. “…did you?”

“Yes, _mio cara,_ very much.” She smiled, heart fluttering. He pet her head, brushing her hair down her bare back. With him purring and just being overall exhausted, she fell asleep quickly.

Athenodora was naked. That was the first thing Blake saw in her vision. She grunted, throwing her eyes past where the naked vampire was pressed against a railing. They were on a balcony, high up, overlooking a pretty modern-looking city.

A pang went through Blake’s chest. Up until now, everything she saw of their past lives was way before she was around. Just a reminder of how much time they had with them.

“Dora?” they both turned to look at Caius, him wearing a loose shirt and slacks. He had a single dandelion in his hand. He offered it to her.

“Really, Caius? This is your idea of an apology? Take me from Italy just to lock me up someplace else?” Blake furrowed her brows. “And not even get me _real_ flowers?”

“I was sure you would wish to drink the one who provided them rather than accept them from me.”

“I have not hunted in centuries. You and the others may be content with it coming to you, but I enjoy the chase. The fear in their eyes. Not for them to immediately become content in my room.”

“Dora—”

“And for you to even _think_ that this could be acceptable. Do you realize what you have done to me? Made me dependent on some peasant. I never did anything to you—”

“Athena.”

“Yet you care not. You parade around as a saint, but you are the flames of hell—”

“Athenodora!” Caius growled, and Athenodora’s eyed went wide. “Here.” Blake watched as the blond flitted to kneel in front of Caius. His hand wrapped in her hair, yanking her head back, cracks appearing on her neck. “I will not be disrespected by the likes of _you,”_ he seethed, shaking her. “If you have quarrels with me, you are free to leave any time you wish. But you will not. You love every second of everything I do to you. Tell me, are my words false?”

“No, Master.”

“Then get your arse in that bed and don’t make a sound.” He tossed her to the side and she appeared in the bed. Blake swallowed hard, staring at Caius. He…was so cruel to her. She knew he was, he had told her, but seeing it was different.

“I will be having dinner, and you will watch.” A knock sounded on the door and Caius grinned darkly, opening the door to let in what looked to be a hooker. He closed the door and then flashed behind the woman. He made eye contact with Athenodora before ripping out the woman’s throat around her vocal cords, silencing a plea. Athenodora tensed, staring hungrily as Caius drank. Blake shook her head, turning away.

She woke up with a start, and Caius shushed her, holding her to his chest.

She was shaking.

“ _Mio cara,_ are—”

“If you _ever_ treat me like you treated her, I’ll leave you.” The silence rained heavily on them as her heart raced in her chest.

“I would never,” he finally said. “I am not sure what you saw, but I am sure it was not pleasant. I have admitted and will never deny that Athenodora and I did not have a healthy relationship and what we did was not love. It was abuse, both ways, though I was more violent to her than she ever was me. Her chosen weapon was her words. And I thrived on the pain I could inflict on her. I know that. And I never want that for you.”

“…how _could you?”_ She sobbed, pressing her face into his shoulder. He rubbed circles onto her back. “And I just _know_ that wasn’t _anything._ You barely did anything to her. But you- you were so… _cruel.”_ Her breath caught when she was rolled onto her back.

“Yes. I am cruel. I am a tyrant. I treated Athenodora like shite, but she agreed to it, _mio cara._ And I will _never_ hurt you. I know my words may seem insignificant to your gift, but I will prove myself to you. I would sooner turn myself to ash than to do anything to hurt you. I would subject myself to the Fields of Punishment if only to allow you one more moment of happiness. I would do anything for you. I am new to discussing things, as you well know, but trust me when I say this: you are not in danger from me. I will never treat you like that.”

She stared up at him, sniffling, and nodded. She knew it to be true. Could feel it in her _soul._ But that didn’t mean that her brain would catch on as quickly. Soon, Caius’ face turned to horror.

“Please tell me you did not lay with me out of fear of me—”

“Caius! No! Never.” She pulled him down to her, and she felt him shake almost imperceptibly in her arms. “Caius, I slept with you because I wanted to. God, do you think Aro would have let you near me if he even _thought_ I feared you? Do you think I would just let it happen? Caius, I wanted to. Will never regret it for however long this life thing lasts. Caius… _I love you.”_


	47. Chapter 47

_“…Caius, I wanted to. Will never regret it for however long this life thing lasts. Caius… **I love you.”**_

With those three words, Blake was handing over her heart, hoping he would accept it. Knowing that he could reject her at any point. She had always been rejected in stuff like this.

But Caius was always proving she had never met anyone like him.

His shaking subsided as he picked himself up, eyes full of venom tears which would never fall.

“Truly?”

“Pretty sure. Never been in love before so I have nothing to compare it to. But I am— _mmph.”_ He crushed their lips together, and for a second, she thought he’d broken her teeth, but no. They were all still there.

She sighed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I don’t regret it. And I wouldn’t sleep with you out of fear. I’d rather tell Marcus and watch him attack you.” Caius smirked a little bit at that but his eyes were still haunted. “How about this, once I take a good sleep, because I need some _rest,_ we need to go somewhere. Just you and me for a couple of days. It’s been months since I’ve been on a trip.”

“Would you like to commit murder on this one as well?” Ahh, _there’s_ her cheeky fang boy.

“hmm…I’ll decide once there.” He barked out a laugh, leaning to press a long kiss to her forehead before he laid back down, and then hesitated. She huffed, rolling over onto his chest, leg slotting between his own. He pulled the covers over her and tucked her in.

It was _definitely_ colder without both of them wearing clothes.

“I mean it, no self-depreciating thoughts. Caius, I haven’t been afraid of you since you attacked me way back when I first got here. I’m okay. Truly.” He stayed silent for a moment before nodding, kissing the top of her head. He still shook a little, holding her firmly against him. She rubbed soothing patterns over his arms, torso, fingers tracing scars that she _knew_ were there but could neither see nor feel them.

She pressed open-mouthed kisses against a few scars on his sculpted chest before settling back down, determined to get some actual sleep without visions, but also not wanting to leave him alone in his thoughts right now.

“If you want to go talk with Marcus, I’ll just take a nap.”

“I am not _leaving you_.” He tightened his grip around her, breathing deeply against her scalp. “I will not.”

“Okay, okay. I was just saying, if you wanted to talk. Because I’m sure I’m going to fall asleep.”

“That is quite fine, _mio cara,_ sleep now. We can talk more when you wake, if you like.” She hesitated, but her body pulled her unconscious anyway.

Waking up, she shot up, not feeling Caius next to her. “Caius!” In a flash, he was by her side, holding her gently to him. She shook, wrapping her arms around him.

“Apologies, _mio cara,_ I was in the other room.” She nodded against his cool chest, breathing deeply.

“Sorry I freaked out.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” They held each other for a while before she shifted and groaned.

“I need a shower.” He huffed a laugh but nodded to the right door. “Not going to ask to join this time?”

“I have some paperwork that needs to be done. Though, if you would like company?” He quirked a brow and she pushed off his chest, shaking her head. The blush that spread across her when the sheets fell off her naked form felt hot over her face and chest. “My lovely mate, blushing so beautifully. Don’t tell me you’re shy _now._ ”

“I seem to have the habit of becoming shy _after_ the fact.” He sat up, pulling her into an embrace which she giggled at. “I will certainly be fine on my own for a shower.” She got up, albeit blushing, and ignored the faint throb between her legs as she went to the bathroom.

This was pretty rustic styled, more like her own than Aro’s modern one, and she stepped up to mirror and gawked.

“Caius.” He appeared behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, head buried in the crook of her neck. He hummed. She shivered but huffed. “Caius. My neck looks like a checkered board.” Her neck was littered with hickeys, some with the very noticeable impression of teeth in them.

He looked up, meeting her eyes in the mirror with an intensity that made her knees week. “So, it does,” he mused, before running his lips lightly against them. She sighed, dropping her head back onto his chest.

“You’re not even a little sorry, are you?”

“Do they hurt?”

“No.”

“Then, no. No, I am not. However, if you would prefer me not to in the future, I will withhold from marking you.” She smiled, leaning back to give him a kiss, which he gladly accepted.

“Now, out. You’ve paperwork and I need a shower. I feel all gross and sweaty.” He chuckled when she shoved him out. She stepped into the shower, turning the water hot as she stood under the spray, adjusting the way she stood with a wince.

Caius, dressed only in his trousers, made his way to his office and started feeling out several packets of pages when he smelled his brothers and looked up, eye twitching as he barked at them to come into the office.

They came in and he bared his teeth. Aro immediately was growling upon them coming in. Marcus hissed, appearing between the two.

“Enough! You both will terrify Blake.”

“He came in here threatening me!”

“You have violated her!” Aro hissed, and Marcus grabbed him by the shoulders. “Let go of me, you know how he is!” He hissed.

“Are you implying that I _forced_ myself on _my mate?”_ Caius growled.

“Show me! Show me then!”

“I will do no such thing!” He hissed, leaning into his face over Marcus’ shoulder despite Marcus’ warning. “You should know by now that I will not show you unless she shows you first.” Aro bared his teeth, eyes narrowing on him.

“Aro! Control yourself. She is _in the other room_. Calm yourself. Or I will remove you.” Aro growled at Caius and Marcus hissed over his shoulder so Caius backed up. Aro pushed Marcus’ hands off of him with a furious growl.

“I would not _hurt her._ I should tear out your tongue for saying it.”

“I would like to see you try.”

“Enough!” Marcus growled. “This is not how you should behave. Aro, she laid with Caius by her own volition and I am sure you know that!”

“She was upset, and he took advantage of it!”

“I did no such thing. For once in our immortal lives just keep your nose out of other people’s business. I know that is such a monumental task for you but do try your best,” Caius hissed, bracing his hands behind his back as to not strangle Aro.

“…I apologize. I will try to behave myself. Though I still believe that I should have been her first. Did you even take care to take her gently? She was a virgin, as I am sure you know. I would have been _perfect_.” Marcus once again had to separate them as Caius locked his gaze fiercely on Aro’s throat.

Blake washed, seeing the light, finger-shaped bruises on her thighs. She rolled her eyes with a smile. They certainly did have a good time. She stepped out of the shower, her leg surprisingly feeling fine despite her using it a lot, and wrapped a towel around her and grabbed one to squish her hair with. She walked out of the room, across the hall to his office.

“Caius, where are my clothes—” She stopped, registering the feel of _all three_ of her mates in the tense atmosphere of the room, and looked up. Marcus and Aro stood from their seats, looking at her with pitch-black eyes. She blushed, turning her eyes to Caius.

“One of them was torn and I sent the others to be washed. I can go—”

“No, that’s fine. Um, sorry to interrupt,” she squeaked, and quickly retreated back to his room.

She searched his closet and pulled on one of his black button-downs, it falling to her knees, and she left the top couple of buttons undone. She sat on the bed, burying her flaming face into her hands, and did not look up when she felt them enter the room.

“I told you to leave her alone,” Caius growled, him appearing right in front of her.

“We just want to apologize to her for making her uncomfortable,” Aro hissed. Blake huffed, standing from the bed, wrapping one arm around Caius’. She peaked from behind him.

“Blake, we did not mean to embarrass you,” Marcus started and despite the burning blush on her face, she waved it away. She gave them a tight-lipped smile.

“No, no, it’s…fine. I’d see you guys eventually. And thanks to Caius’ bitey-ness, I severely doubt you wouldn’t have seen it, so…” She pursed her lips, looking to the floor. Caius wrapped his arms around her and purred. She sighed, relaxing against him.

“Well, we’ll leave you two alone, either way. Have a good day.” She practically collapsed when the two of them left, and Caius picked her up, laying her against the bed.

“Alright?”

“Yes. Just…wasn’t expecting them so soon.”

“They do have a rather horrid tendency to show up at the worst opportune time.” She giggled. “Do you have any idea how _ravishing_ you look in my shirt?” She blinked up at him, smirking as he lowered his face so they were centimeters apart. “How I had to control every inch of my body from not swooping in here and just claiming you again, my brothers be damned?”

“Oh really? Didn’t really take you as an exhibitionist,” she teased, and he bared his teeth and then immediately kissed the tip of her nose.

“I severely doubt that.”

“Are you?” She pushed her head against the mattress, quirking a brow at him.

“An exhibitionist? Well, we shall have eternity to figure that out from each other, now will we not?” She blushed and spluttered.

“Caius!”

“What? Shall I not be honest? I will have you away from your adorable ‘blushing virgin’ mindset—”

“Hey! Was not a blushing virgin! I’ve seen your wife naked!’

“And I—what?” She blushed, biting her lip. “Do not go silent on me now, _mio cara.”_

_“_ I see the past. She was naked in the last one, okay? That’s it.”

“…I hope you never see any more of that. You do not deserve to be subject to such horrors.”

“Right. Maybe let’s not talk about your wife now. Or me being a blushing virgin because I am _not!_ And—”

“Not a virgin, no, at least, not anymore. However, blushing is still happening.” He smirked and she huffed, flinging her head back into the mattress. He chuckled and kissed a line against her jaw. “I believe you wanted to go somewhere with me?”

“We can go now?”

“Any time you like. _Anywhere_ you like.” She froze for a second before a brilliant smile broke out on her face.

“Laptop! Need to research!”

And that was how she found herself two hours later, dressed in her clothes, in Aro’s study with Caius practically wrapped around her. His energy around him seemed to have increased by fifty since the previous day, and was so easily distinguishable, it was hard to focus on anything else.

She had just told Aro and Marcus they were going to a cabin in the mountains. They had looked at each other and then her before nodding.

“It will do you some good to be out and about. I know you must be feeling terribly cooped up,” Aro said and she nodded.

“Absolutely. The gardens help but…”

“It’s not what you need. Caius, have you picked where you’ll be going?”

“Yes, all preparations have been made, we just came to bid our goodbyes.” Marcus came over to her, swooping her into a hug. She laughed, flinging her arms around his shoulders.

“How long will you be gone, darling?”

“Only till Wednesday. Can’t leave you guys all alone. Who knows what chaos you’ll cause?” She chuckled, pulling back to give him a swift kiss. It was currently Saturday.

“Enjoy yourself, yes?” She nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Upon your return, I expect many details of your adventures.”

“Of course.”

“In Italian,” he added, and she groaned, tightening her grip on his shoulders.

“You’re killing me here.” He chuckled against her and denied that fact, but she shook her head. “Nope. You definitely are. Why the fuck is Italian so fucking hard?”

“Alright, alright, you may complain later,” Aro said and she turned with a smile, walking into his opened arms, keeping away from his skin. She smiled against his shoulder, before stepping back and Caius’ hand slipped into hers.

A couple of hours later, Caius swept her off of her feet the moment she got out of the car, and then she was on a couch. She shrieked, latching onto his forearms. “Caius!”

“Yes?”

“Give me a warning next time.”

“Hmm. Warning.”

“Wh- _ack!”_ She was back in his arms as he took off vampire speed before she was deposited on a bed. “Mother of—Caius! I swear, the moment that I am a newborn I am going to throw your ass to the ground.”

“I will certainly enjoy seeing you have the strength to overcome me,” He said, hands going to her shoulders. He rubbed them gently. “Are you tired?”

“I don’t think so. Is it overcast in the town?”

“It is.”

“Can we go shopping?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “ _Christmas_ shopping. Get Marcus something, and maybe some of the guard. I won’t be getting Aro’s until much closer and won’t even contemplate what to get him because I want it to be a surprise.” Caius rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.

“Now?”

“What? Did you have better plans?” she asked, fingers dancing along his shoulder.

“Perhaps…How sore are you?” She gave him a wide smile and sat up, flipping her shirt off.

They didn’t go to town until the next day, and then she had happily held his hand as they walked through the man shops and Caius indulged her in all of her shopping. Even as he grumbled about how she shouldn’t buy the _guard_ gifts. She had merely huffed and dragged him into the next shop.

The whole afternoon, gone, just shopping and when they returned to their cabin thirty minutes away, Caius had pouted on the couch. “The guard is not worthy of your affection.”

“They’ve been putting up with me pretty much all year.”

“It is their duty!”

“Caius,” She slid into his lap, cradling his chin. “I _like_ the guard. I want to have a nice Christmas, and that includes them. Kay?” He grumbled about it, but laid his hands against her back, pulling her more firmly against him.

“How is your leg today?”

“A little sore, but not bad. It’s actually really good considering we’ve been walking all day.” His eyes twinkled. She sighed, mouth falling into a frown, and she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. “…I know I told you I just wanted to wait to walk, and I’m almost there. Not quite, but almost. It’s likely that I’ll be able to before the anniversary of us meeting.” She bit her lip as Caius perked up. “But I’m _scared._ ” At once, he had his arms around her, holding her close. She buried her face in his chest. “I don’t want to be, but I am.”

“ _Mio cara,_ I am quite sure having knowledge of going from mortal to immortal is not an easy idea to wrap your head around. All three of us will be there for you, every step of the way.”

“What if it’s too much for me?” She whispered. “What if I am not meant for being an immortal? Like you? I am a human, and I’ve always been really down to earth with my mortality. What if I turn and then…I don’t know? Go crazy? That’s a lot of changes.”

“ _mio cara,_ Blake, I sincerely doubt that will be the case. Even if it is, you and me, and Aro and Marcus, we shall get through it. Just as we have been these past months with your recovery: _One step at a time.”_

Blake smiled tearily against his chest and tightened her arms as tight as she’d dare without hurting herself. He purred deeply, slowly rocking them from side to side.

After she calmed down a little, she tapped his chest and he hummed. “Were Aro and Marcus mad? You know about…us?”

“About me showing you the pleasures of the flesh?” She squeaked, face flaming, and smacked her palm against his shoulder causing him to laugh. “Yes, they were. Quite jealous as well, but all is well. They shall be fine.”

“It seemed tense when I went in there.”

“There had been multiple threats of bodily harm.”

“What?” She snapped up and he merely rolled his eyes.

“From both of us. He snapped in his jealousy, as you know he does, and…do not get angry at him for this.” She nodded. “No, Blake, you must promise me you will not hold this against Aro. I know how he is and know that in moments of anger we both say words we would not say otherwise, and we do not mean. I need you to promise me you will not house anger against him for what he said.”

She stared at him for a long moment, contemplating if she really wanted to hear it if he made that big a deal about it. He had _never_ done that before. But ultimately, she took a deep breath and nodded.

“I promise.”

“He insinuated that I forced myself onto you.” Her ears rang and then she was standing, her eyes narrowed.

“…He said you _raped me?”_ She hissed.

“Blake—”

“I can be mad about _this_! What the fuck? He touched me the day before! He knew I wanted you. What the actual fuck?”

“He did not mean it, _mio cara.”_

“Are you sure? No! Wait! It doesn’t matter! He shouldn’t have fucking said it.”

“He did not say that I raped you. He said since you were in distress earlier in the day that I should not have propositioned you.”

“But no. That’s not how that works.”

“Blake,” Caius caught her hands in his freezing ones, and she huffed looking at him. “You promised me. I need you to calm down. Aro did not mean that. It is simply how he reacted.” She glared at him. “I promise you; he did not mean them.”

“Then he needs to work on that,” She breathed, walking into his arms to lay her head on his shoulder. He nodded against her, holding her firmly against him.

“I agree. He is trying.”

“Is he?”

“Before this year, he would have merely dismembered me. You have taught him to be more reasonable. Not exceptionally but it is still an improvement. He is trying for you.”

“He should be trying for himself though. To change for himself. Not just because of me.”

“ _mio cara,_ the fact that he is trying at all is a monumental task.” She sighed, pouting as she hugged him close.

“I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!


	48. Chapter 48

Blake giggled, a glass of wine in her hand as she sat next to Caius on the bed on the plane Wednesday morning. He had a glass himself of bag blood which she had screwed her nose up at as she watched him pour it.

He offered to drink it quickly in the other room but she declined, wanting to sit with him. She said as long as he wouldn’t get ahead of himself and take a bite out of her, she’d be fine. So here they were.

He was relaxed against the frame, one arm around her shoulders as she leaned against his chest.

“I hope I entertained you well enough.”

“You’re kidding, right? I had a ton of fun.” He pressed his face in her neck and she felt his little smile. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, taking another sip of her wine. The wine, which probably was more than her retirement fund.

“I am glad, _mio cara._ Are you going to show Aro?” She frowned, still mad at him. Caius squeezed her lightly.

“…yeah. If for nothing else to make him feel bad.”

“By that logic, he shall also be jealous beyond belief.”

“Oh yeah?” She smirked.

“Quite. By seeing me take you over.” His fingers moved to slide gracefully down her side. “And over.” His voice lowered with his fingers. “And over.” They slipped onto her thigh and she bit her lip. “And over again.” She caught his hand gently.

“Indeed. And this flight is almost over.”

“It is. Have I hurt you?”

“I’m just sore, Caius.” His fingers flexed and she sighed. “Jeez, your ego just shot up didn’t it?” He stayed silent for a moment, but it didn’t matter. She knew it did.

“Perhaps,” he allowed, and she laughed, shaking her head. She drained the rest of her glass and he refilled it effortlessly.

“Does it not bother you?”

“You shall have to be more specific, _mio cara.”_

“That you don’t have any privacy from Aro? That even if you’re alone he’ll know about it sooner or later.”

“It does not. It is just how things are. Blake, I’ve been with him for thousands of years. It would be stranger for me to _have_ complete privacy. I think I understand where you come from though. Privacy is a means much to many, I know. I have seen it happen with members of the guard that have left other covens to come to ours. I sure it is even more of a shock to a human.” She hummed, nodding.

Upon their arrival, the guard met them and drove them back to the castle. Caius zoomed her to her room when they returned, and she immediately went to take a shower. She washed quickly, fingers brushing against the many hickeys that covered her body.

She dressed and then met Martin outside her door, and he escorted her to Aro’s chambers. She quickly walked through them to his office and knocked. The door was opened by Marcus and she immediately jumped into his arms. He chuckled.

“voi due avete causato il caos?” She asked and he looked at her with a quirked brow.

“No, we did not. I am impressed.” He turned to Caius.

“No, this was all her. She practically rehearsed it constantly.” She captured Marcus’ jaw and gave him a sweet kiss.

“Italian is still hard.”

“I understand, darling.” She kissed him again before narrowing her eyes on Aro.

“You!” He blinked slowly, turning his eyes to Caius who shook his head.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

“here!” She walked over to him, throwing her hand out. He very slowly looked at it and then her eyes and back again.

“Are you sure—”

“Yes, dammit! Look in my head.” He swallowed and took off his gloves before capturing her hand in his. It didn’t take long for his hands to clench around hers to the point of almost pain before they were gone completely. He looked at her for a long moment.

“Caius, I am deeply sorry that I accused you of taking advantage of Blake. Blake, _piccola,_ I apologize that I caused you distress by my actions.” He looked calm and remorseful, but at the way his eyes kept widely flicking over her form and then to Caius and back, she knew he was going to go break something.

“It was a horrible accusation. Even if you didn’t mean it. Don’t do it again.” When he nodded, she threw her arms around him. He sighed, holding her close. She pressed a kiss to his bare neck, and he shuddered, all thoughts rushing into his head again. He shivered a little, holding her a little tighter.

A week later, Blake was sitting happily in one of their conference rooms, sketching as the others read one thing or another. Caius was actively drawing her, so she’d stick her tongue out at him or make funny faces whenever she saw him looking.

When Demetri’s presence started getting closer with a vampiric presence she didn’t recognize, she tensed, looking up. All three of them were glaring at the door.

She was never around when they brought outsiders.

“What is Demetri doing?” Caius hissed.

“I am sure it must be important. He would not bring someone here who would be walking out of here.” The implications of Aro’s statement caused Blake to frown. Nonetheless, Marcus moved in a blink to be seated directly next to her and pushed her chair in a little bit, so she was completely blocked from view by whoever came through the door. They would sense, hear, and smell her, but they wouldn’t know what she looked like.

She heard the doors opened and Aro looked up with a scowl which quickly turned to intrigue as he disappeared. Marcus didn’t try to stop her as she leaned around him to see Aro bowed over his hands joined with those of a blonde with amber eyes. Vegetarian.

One who was looking right at her with wide eyes.

“Oh dear,” Aro murmured when he separated from the vampire. She blinked turning back to Aro. Blake furrowed her brows looking at Marcus who motioned for her to wait. “Demetri, take Irina to suitable chambers. She will be staying with us until the end of this matter.” Demetri bowed and took the blonde by the elbow.

“What’s wrong?” She asked as soon as Aro returned to the table. He did not sit, and his hands were folded behind his back with a frown on his face.

“A terrible crime has been committed. No doubt this action will require the coven.” A cold shot of dread shot down her spine and she stood. Caius was immediately by her side, arm around her waist to support her when her knee buckled.

“What? When? Will you guys be alright?” Aro looked at Caius.

“Blake…” he approached her with his gloves on and took her hands in his. She furrowed her brows, feeling her heart pound against her chest. “I need you to trust me that I will tell you everything that you _need_ to know.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“That is not my intention. But I will be withholding information from you and that is my decision, not Marcus’ or Caius’. I will tell you all that I think I should. That is not everything. But I can promise you this: the three of us will come back to you. We will not be in any danger.”

“I don’t like any of what you just said except for that last bit.”

“I know, Blake.”

“Why are you calling me that? You don’t call me that unless I’m upset with you or something.” Her eyes filled with tears, her heart pounding and that extra sense was telling her to _press him._ Find out more.

“I know. Our time will be occupied almost constantly soon, I must go immediately. Preparations must be made.”

“Aro…”

“Please, go with Marcus and Caius.” She pulled him to her and gave him a kiss.

“I know you guys are like, the law, but that doesn’t mean that I _like_ the idea of you guys being in danger.”

“I know.”

With one last wide-eyed glance to Aro, Caius swept her to her room. She curled up against him, hands fisting in his cloak as she gasped for air, panic overtaking her.

* * *

Aro stayed where he was for a solid minute before spinning on his toes and taking off to get Jane and Alec. Finding them, he instructed them to gather the coven at the lower level. He watched them disappear out of the corridor and then groaned, leaning his head against a wall.

“Dammit, Carlisle…” the images of the immortal child with Isabella and one of the shifters kept flaring to life in the forefront of his mind. He allowed them leniency with Edward’s mate and Carlisle, _dear Carlisle,_ betrayed him like this.

This, in which he’d have to take his own mate’s sister away.

Her brother.

Any of the shifters that she cared about and possibly even her own father seeing as he had failed to mention anything of Isabella’s death which should have been told immediately after her becoming immortal.

Irina Denali had gone to Forks, so they were still there when they should not be.

How many laws had his old friend destroyed?

How bad was he going to break his own mate’s heart?

He had been intentionally cryptic with her, knowing that if he told her he had to go kill her sister for creating an immortal child, she would _likely_ throw a fit and probably injure herself. She had a tendency to strike with her fists and that would only hurt herself.

He pushed off the wall and then growled, throwing his fist threw it before sighing, pulling it away, and wiping the dust from it.

He had an army to strategize.

* * *

Blake fell asleep after her panic attack but woke up shortly thereafter and clutched to her two mates in arm's reach.

“This feels really bad. This feels like you’re in danger.”

“ _Mio cara,_ we are in danger at all times. Such it is to be ruling over our kind. However, know this. We shall always fight to come back to you.”

“Promise?”

“We promise.” They spoke in sync and that calmed her some. After that day though, she barely saw them.

For six days they were almost all busy but at least one of them did come to spend at least an hour with her a day which she used to cuddle with him on the couch and just try to relax.

But it was hard when her instincts were screaming at her that something was _wrong,_ and she needed to _protect._

On the twentieth, all three of them were there when she ate lunch and she nearly launched herself at them and Marcus caught her with a small smile, putting her back on the couch.

“Eat. We will be here for the rest of the night.” She smiled at him and relaxed against his side.

“So, is whatever you’ve been doing done?” When they exchanged glances she sighed, stabbing a piece of chicken. “Guess not,” She grumbled.

Caius took her other side and Marcus on his side. When she finished eating, which wasn’t long, she had lost her appetite, she turned to them.

“We will be departing tomorrow.” Her spine straightened and she gaped at them.

“What? To where?”

“America. We will be leaving you with Caius’ guard and Afton, you will not be alone, but we must ask that you always stay in the castle. Do not go to the garden or any of the balconies. Remain in the castle.” She furrowed her brows at Aro, and he sank to his knees in front of her, hands caressing her calves.

“We will be _fine._ We will be gone two weeks at most. I need you to promise me that you will do as I say.”

“Aro—”

“Blake, _please._ I am already dreading leaving you but if you cannot do this then I am not sure that I will be able to.”

“Okay, okay. I promise. But, what this is about? Why are you three going? And the whole coven?” It took him a long moment to respond which did not make Blake feel any better. She knew she was about to get a heavily moderated version of the truth. He’d already told her he would only what she _needed_ to know.

And she knew, that as a human, mate or no, that it wasn’t much.

“A large coven has created an immortal child which is our most unforgivable law. Even secrecy, as you have witnessed, is more lenient than immortal children. They are uncontrollable, volatile, forever frozen at that age and their tantrums could leave entire villages dead. They are _forbidden,_ and thus, immortal child, creator, and all enablers are sentenced to death.”

Cold hard fear shot down her spine and she swallowed hard.

“So, that’s why you all have to go?”

“Yes, _mio cara._ We will outnumber them, and our casualties will be few,” Caius said against her ear. She furrowed her brows.

“…what about Christmas?”

“I’m sorry, my dear one, I know you wanted to celebrate with us and were so excited. We will not be back for it, unfortunately. We can celebrate when we return, if you’d like.”

“It’d be better than not celebrating at all, I guess.” He gave her a small smile which she returned, though she hardly felt up to smiling. Her heart was pounding, her head was swarming with instincts to _not let them go,_ her skin was itching, and she wanted to fight.

Fight whoever dare take them away from her.

The last time she was away from them, there had been no danger and she still felt like she was going to implode, the pain of missing them almost unbearable. How was she going to deal with it now?

They pulled her into a cuddle pile on the bed and purred. She was informed that they would be gone when she woke, but they would call her every day for the first few days before they would have to go silent.

She fought sleep for as long as she could, not ready to let them go, but ultimately, she was human, and she succumbed to sleep. The three vampires exchanged pained glances around her.

She would hate them when they returned, but hopefully, they could reconcile her, knowing that the danger of the threat was much too much. There was no other option.

The Olympic coven would be destroyed when they returned, and there was no telling how she would react to that information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation courtesy of google translate so take it with a grain of salt:   
>  “voi due avete causato il caos?" - "Did you two cause chaos?"


	49. Chapter 49

Blake had frowned at Aro in the middle of the night, he was the only one there and he explained that he wanted to talk to her privately.

Out of everything that he could have talked to her about, she didn’t expect him to apologize. He recited her dream to her, the one with Caius and the little boy, and when she went to interrupt he silenced her. He apologized that they could not give her children.

“Aro, I’ve never thought about having kids, you _know_ this. It doesn’t matter. I always told myself that I would think about when I was older and when I felt I was mature to make that decision. And now I don’t have to because it won’t matter.” It truly had not mattered to her, but it seemed to really bother Aro that he couldn’t give it to her, and it was not hard to see why it was suddenly on his mind, seeing as an immortal child was created and they had to go deal with it.

Before calling Marcus and Caius back in, he had kissed the crown of her head firmly and gave a teary apology about not being able to give her a family. She had scoffed and assured him they were her family and that was all she needed.

She was confused about it but brushed it back off as the other two came back in the room and she drifted back to sleep, clutching them close even though it would not matter and they would be gone when she woke.

They kept to their word, calling Blake every day.

But it did nothing to alleviate the pain in her chest at them being gone which had woken her up the first night, and she had sat wrapped up in Aro’s blankets that smelled of them as she felt them disappear from her range and then silently cried.

Her anxiety was heightening daily to the point where she could hardly eat. On Christmas, they wished her a ‘ _happy Christmas’_ which had caused her to smile and snap at them that it was _Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals._

Aro was the only one to get it and she decided that they’d watch those movies the night they got back.

Her anxiety crawled to new heights when informed that was to be their last call until they were heading back, to the point that anything she did eat she would just end up puking up later. She took to wearing Aro’s shirts, his scent surrounding her, and sitting with Caius’ guard in the library.

Martin was always joking around with her, and it would cheer her up a bit, but nothing could distract her from the ache in her chest that constantly increased the longer she was without her mates.

So, when she finished puking again and dragged herself back to the hall, Martin had intercepted her.

“Game room?” She blinked and then nodded. He whisked her away and then she was placed on a chair. A not comfortable chair, but a chair, nonetheless.

And it was indeed outdated, but it was usable so as the rest of the guard filtered into the room, Martin tossed her a controller and turned on a console. It took her a few tries before she got used to it.

She spent the whole day with him there. When her hands were finally too tired to continue, she laughed, giving up.

“You guys all have gifts?” She asked, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“We do. Would you like to see?” Martin asked, smiling at her. She quirked a brow and then nodded. She hadn’t really _seen_ a gift before, besides Octavian’s when he stopped that vampire from taking a bite out of her. And Aleksei’s effect on the bastard.

He smiled and clapped standing up. He bowed dramatically and then held out his hands, like he was holding a softball, palm up and fingers curled. She watched as his eyes dilated, all red disappearing before lightening appeared in his hands, bouncing between fingers.

“Woah!” She sat on the edge of her seat, leaning to look at it. His eyes seemed to reflect the same electricity in his fingers before he smirked, closing his hand, the lightning disappearing and his eyes fading back to red. “That was so cool! I take it that hurts like a bitch?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. Julian! Get over here.” The man called hissed but did as told. Blake watched as Martin flicked his finger and a shot of electricity left it, surging to Julian and sending the man to the ground, thrashing for a second before he exhaled loudly, sagging to the ground. Blake’s eyebrows shot up, and a chill went down her spine and she had to actively remind herself that they would _not_ hurt her.

If they did Caius would make them regret it for eternity.

Julian stood and turned to her.

“I can give illusions which affect all of the senses. Not only are you seeing and hearing, but you feel it, smell it, there is no way to distinguish it from reality.”

“Show me?” His eyes widened.

“Master, that’s not a good idea.”

“Why not?” She cocked her head to the side.

“Because under it for a while, it can drive vampires mad and they will stay that way for a long time. He’s never used it on a human.”

“Oh.” She deflated. She turned to Didacus. “And you?”

“You have seen my gift, Master. The night that we were introduced, when you took a step without knowing why. Much how Heidi attracts people, I do as well only much more powerful. It’s an unbeatable sensation which causes the one influenced to come towards me or freeze.” Fear shot through her recognizing that would be for _food_ and how it had been used on _her._ “I had not meant to use it on you, it was a reaction to…” he trailed off and she gave him a tightlipped smile.

“A human. Food.” She supplied and he awkwardly looked away after nodding once. “Well, thanks for not eating me, I guess.” Three of them gave little quirks of their lips while Martin laughed and Aleksei just glared at the ground.

She made her way back up to Aro’s bed and grabbed a pillow that she just barely managed to shove her face into before she started crying. She _needed_ them. They were a part of her life. Of her _soul._

And they were out there, who knows if they were even fighting yet, and she didn’t know if they were safe, how many they were fighting or anything.

Blake was so distraught that she hadn’t even realized that Jasper and Bella had not called her since Irina showed up at the Volturi.

The next day, she was in the conference room, looking over tomes of Italian text, trying to translate some, just to keep her mind busy when Martin appeared with a smile and held out a phone. She stood, snatching it from him.

“ _Mio cara,”_ Caius breathed, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Caius,” She sobbed, and quickly sat back down.

“We are all fine. No one died…on either side. Irina was incorrect.”

“Aro? Marcus?”

“We’re here, darling.” She sighed, pressing her head to the edge of the table, biting her knuckle. “I know this must be terrible for you. We are returning and should be there no later than noon tomorrow.” She swallowed hard, trying to stop the tears that she felt stupid for even having.

“You’re alright?”

“We all are,” he confirmed. She sighed, nodding even though they could not see her. “We will be back with you shortly, my dear.”

“Good, that’s good.”

“We have to go now, and we have much to discuss upon our arrival. We will be there in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Can’t wait.”

She actually managed to eat dinner that night. But like always, sleep evaded her for the longest before she finally managed to slip into it.

She was standing on snow in a clearing as she faced towards a tree line. She watched as a swarm of cloaked figures emerged from the woods, ghosting across the space as one, the edges a light gray with increasing darkness until the middle where the twins were.

It was slow. Deliberate.

A show that they had nothing to fear.

No one’s face was visible, and she was startled by exactly how many members of the coven there were. There were _a lot_. And once they spread out, more figures emerged from the woods, not cloaked, and she did not recognize any of them.

She watched as they halted, her eyes staying fixed on her mates as they stood in the middle, Aro in the center and touching hands with the other two. She almost made towards them before abruptly remember she was in a vision, and she tore her teary eyes away from them.

And paused.

She knew this clearing.

She spent many times hiking here, especially during the snow.

She spun on her heel and looked wide-eyed at the horde of vampires there, Carlisle standing dead middle, Bella behind the front line with a small child holding onto her back.

“No,” she whispered, fear taking hold of her.

But Caius’ words came back. No one died, on either side. Irina was incorrect.

But there was a child there. She could see it. On her sister’s back, holding onto one of the _seventeen_ wolves gathered there too. There were vampires there she did not recognize at all, and Jasper and Alice were missing.

Where were they? _Where was her brother?_

She watched as Carlisle left the front line, arms outstretched. “Aro, my old friend. It’s been a while.”

She turned to watch as Aro left the guard, Renata following dutifully behind him, hand on his shoulder. Good. She had threatened the little vampire when she heard she’d be going with him that she was not to leave their side for a fraction of a second.

She knew she wouldn’t, but she had to at least do _something._

The guard crouched, hisses raising out and Blake’s hair stood on end. This was _Carlisle._ He wasn’t a _threat._ He liked Aro.

All of this was screaming at how wrong this was at her.

“Peace,” Aro said, raising his hand slightly and they relented, though none of them looked happy about it. Especially not Renata whose eyes kept spanning empty space. Maybe she was aware that Blake was going to see this.

“Fair words, Carlisle,” he breathed, “They seem out of place, considering the army you’ve assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones.” Blake sucked in a breath and shook her head.

“I don’t want to see this.”

It sped up before stopping at Irina being shoved forward and Caius slapping her across the face. He pointed towards where Blake knew the child was.

“Is this the child that you saw? The one you knew to not be human?” Irina looked at the line and looked beyond confused. “Well?” He snapped.

“I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?” he hissed quietly.

“She’s not the same, but I think it’s the same child. What I mean is, she’s changed. This child is bigger than the one I saw, but—” Caius hissed, baring his teeth and she shut her mouth immediately.

Blake shook her head. “No, further. When they realized.” She focused really hard and then watched as the images in front of her began passing with speed, no sound audible. At a sharp pain shooting through her head, she stopped, stumbling. She shook and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes to try to alleviate the pain in her head.

“There was no breach,” Carlisle said.

“Be that as it may, I will have every facet of the truth.” Aro’s soft voice hardened. “And the best way to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented son.” He inclined his head in Edward’s direction. “As the child clings to his newborn mate, I’m assuming Edward is involved.”

She shook her head, steeling herself, and focused on trying to find where the point that mattered was. It stopped again with Edward’s hand in Aro’s as he looked up.

“You see?” Edward asked.

“Yes, I see, indeed,” Aro agreed. “I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly.” The disciplined faces of the guard showed disbelief, but all Blake felt was confusion. “You have given me much to ponder, young friend,” Aro continued. “Much more than I expected.” He did not release Edward’s hand. Blake furrowed her brows. She’d never seen him do that before, not even with her.

“May I meet her?” Aro asked with pure excitement “I never dreamed of the existence of such a thing in all my centuries. What an addition to our histories!”

“What is this about, Aro?” Caius snapped before Edward could answer.

“Something you’ve never dreamed of, my brother. Take a moment to ponder,

for the justice we intended to deliver no longer applies.” Caius hissed in surprise at his words.

“Peace, brother,” Marcus said quietly, eyes flicking between Caius, Aro, and where Blake knew the child was.

“Will you introduce me to your daughter?” Aro asked Edward. Blake spluttered; eyes wide as she stared at the vision in front of her.

The fuck? The fuck had he just said? Daughter? Edward’s?

…Grenade time?

She tuned back in when she noticed she was longer staring at them, and turned to go where Aro, Renata, Demetri, and Felix were facing Edward, Bella, the child, and Jacob.

Aro’s head cocked to the side.

“I hear her strange heart,” he murmured. “I smell her strange scent.” He looked at Bella. “In truth, young Bella, immortality does become you most extraordinarily. It is as if you were designed for this life.” Blake did really see this. Bella was beautiful and it was hard to realize that it _was_ Bella. She looked nothing like how her memories looked.

“You liked my gift?” he asked. Blake knew at once it was the fancy necklace around her sister’s neck. No way in hell Bella would ever buy something like that. Or wear it. And if she thought Aro was there to hurt her, it would be just like her to wear it in spite.

“It’s beautiful, and very, very generous of you. Thank you. I probably should have sent

a note.” Aro laughed delightedly.

“It’s just a little something I had lying around. I thought it might complement your new face, and so it does.”

“May I greet your daughter, lovely Bella?” he asked.

_Blake.exe has stopped working._

Blake’s fist tightened. What in the actual hell was happening?

“But she’s exquisite,” he murmured. “So like you and Edward.” And that was certainly true. Blake could see it, now that she was looking for it. The child looked just like Bella and Edward smashed together. What the hell had _happened?_

“Hello, Renesmee.” _Renesmee._ Exactly who named her? Carlisle? Sixteenth-century name? The girl turned to Bella who nodded.

“Hello, Aro,” she answered in a high, ringing voice. Aro’s eyes were bemused.

“What is it?” Caius hissed from behind.

“Half mortal, half immortal,” Aro announced to him and the rest of the guard without turning his enthralled gaze from Renesmee. “Conceived so, and carried by this newborn while she was still human.” Blake stumbled; eyes blown wide.

That was _possible?_

“Impossible,” Caius growled. Ah, she and Caius were on the same wavelength here and she would have thought that cool though be that as it may, in this vision, if he’d been correct, he’d have murdered her sister.

“Do you think they’ve fooled me, then, brother? Is the heartbeat you hear a trickery as well? Calmly and carefully, brother,” Aro continued, still smiling at Renesmee. “I know well how you love your justice, but there is no justice in acting against this unique little one for her parentage.

“And so much to learn, so much to learn! I know you don’t have my enthusiasm for collecting histories, but be tolerant with me, brother, as I add a chapter that stuns me with its improbability. We came expecting only justice and the sadness of false friends, but look what we have gained instead! A new, bright knowledge of ourselves, _our_ possibilities. Think of it. What this means for _us.”_

He held his hand out to the child, but she just reached up, pressing her fingertips to his face. His smile widened. “Brilliant,” he whispered.

“Please?” she asked him as she leaned back against Bella.

His smile turned gentle. “Of course, I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious

Renesmee.” Blake blinked. He looked so gentle at her, his voice even softer than usual. Unless he was even her, but even this was _different._

Blake watched as Aro waved the guard forward and they anxiously rejoined his side as the Cullens backed up. Caius was looking at the girl with wide eyes, mouth parted. He glanced at Aro who quirked a brow, eyes locked on Edward. Caius nodded once, schooling his expression.

“The werewolves,” He muttered after a moment of silence. Aro winced, turning to him.

“Brother…” It was as if he had said ‘ _that? That was what you got?’_

“Will you defend that alliance, too, Aro?” Caius demanded. “The Children of the Moon have been our bitter enemies from the dawn of time. We have hunted them to near extinction in Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle encourages a familiar relationship with this enormous infestation-no doubt in an attempt to overthrow us. The better to protect his warped lifestyle.” Blake furrowed her brow, knowing full well that every word out of his mouth was complete bullshit and he knew it.

Then her eyes were thrown towards the vampires behind the guard.

_“Witnesses, they bring them in to ensure that it was justice they performed.”_ An unfamiliar voice wafted over her, and she knew it was from a past conversation, giving her context much like how the visions tried to get her to realize she was their mate long before she did.

So, there were witnesses here, and Caius was the most violent, the most blood-thirsty. So, he had to have to be fighting, even if he knew differently. Damn, it really was politics.

“Caius, it’s the middle of the day,” Edward said, and Blake snorted at the look of pure fury that came over Caius’ face. “They do not remotely look like the Children of the Moon, either. They’re not even werewolves.”

Caius and Aro exchanged a glance and Marcus walked forward to touch his hand to Aro’s who nodded. Caius turned.

“I need to talk to the informant,” he barked. “Irina!” He snapped his fingers and the blonde vegetarian that came to Volterra frightfully moved forward to stand in front of Caius. And Blake would certainly hate to be her, Caius looked every bit of his reputation.

“You appear to be quite mistaken in your allegations,” he said, lifting a brow, a small smirk on his face as he stared at her quite obviously terrified form.

“Yes, I was wrong. I should have made sure. But I had no idea…”

“Brother, none could possibly have thought this was possible.” Caius glared over his shoulder at Aro who silenced, pursing his smiling lips.

“You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. I’m so sorry,” she said to the Cullens, and then she turned her face toward the Volturi witnesses. “There was no crime. There’s no valid reason for you to continue here.”

Caius raised his hand. In a flash, Irina was surrounded by gray cloaks and Caius flashed to it. The next second Caius was standing next to a burning pile, the cloaks gone. Blake’s eyes went wide.

“Now, she’s taken full responsibility.”

There was a surprised, urgent cry behind her of: “Stop her!” And she spun seeing blurs suddenly coming to a halt as others gripped onto two blondes, both looking like Irina. One of the blonde’s hands touched Rosalie who collapsed to a pile on the ground. Blake watched as others were holding onto the two struggling forms.

“Zafrina!” Edward shouted and the one struggling the most stilled. Blake blinked hard. What the actual fuck was she witnessing? She watched as they all calmed and went back on defense and she turned to watch her mates again.

Her mates who were standing on the opposite side of the battlefield from her sister and her sister’s family.

She steeled her jaw, fury taking root in her soul, but she calmed it. She knew from experience that strong emotions could wake her from sleep, and she wanted to see how this ended.

“Irina has been executed for bearing false witness. Now shall we return to the matter on hand?” Aro said. Caius spun towards him. Aro spoke with one he acknowledged as Amun before he and a woman disappeared.

“No law has been broken. But is there no danger?”

Blake glared. The fuck was that supposed to mean? She certainly looked more human than anything else.

Hisses erupted from the Cullens’ side and Blake shivered, fear at the sound surrounding her, and she found herself moving towards Caius subconsciously before she stopped. That would do nothing for her in one of her visions.

“There is much to consider here, brothers.”

“Let us counsel,” Marcus said, moving towards Aro, and throwing a glare in Edward’s direction which had the latter frowning.

“Let us counsel,” Caius said, also glaring at Edward before looking towards the guard as he moved forward to the other two. Blake watched as Edward winced, tilting his head. She moved closer to listen as Bella whispered.

“What?”

“The guard. All of them are thinking wildly; it’s distracting. I can’t hear theirs.” Bella looked frightened. Blake turned back to watch her mates and walked across the clearing to them and watched as they stood in a triangle.

She turned and furrowed her brows at seeing Edward kiss Renesmee’s head and cheeks before Bella took her and placed her on Jacob’s back.

Oh shit. They were terrified, weren’t they? They had to have been. Thinking that they were going to die for a crime they didn’t commit. Having their _child_ in harm’s way.

And Bella was willing to send her away.

Blake watched as the rest of the Cullen’s side exchanged what looked to be silent goodbyes, Emmett and Rosalie sharing a kiss. Others she didn’t know looking at each other with grief-stricken faces.

But no fear.

They were not afraid.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream of rage erupted from the guard and Blake watched as all the guard flinched away from Jane and Blake laughed.

The sight was quite hilarious, but then she furrowed her brows.

What happened? She looked around, nothing had changed from what she could see, but that didn’t mean much, she missed most of these things, her human eyes not being able to keep up.

Then a large fissure opened, separating the clearing in two and all three her mates—and her—watched it with wide eyes.

“Aro!” Edward called and Aro tore his eyes away to look at Blake’s brother-in-law.

“Yes, Edward? You have something further?”

“Your hesitance is based on how she will progress, yes?” Aro nodded. “If we could know for sure, there would be no need for council, yes?”

“Indeed.” Aro looked perplexed but excited by this train of thought. “But she’s one of a kind…” he purposefully left that open for Edward. Blake knew by now a lot of his quirks. He _was_ hoping Edward could get his way around this.

And maybe it was just so Blake wouldn’t be mad at him, but she already was and really, she’d take it over him not even bothering with keeping them alive.

“Rare, certainly, but not one of a kind.” Blake’s heart thundered in her chest. “Alice! Care to join us?”

Blake snapped her head to the side and waited. She only saw blurs and then turned back to the Cullens, seeing Alice and Jasper nearby, with other people she didn’t recognize.

“These past few weeks Alice has been searching for witnesses of her own. And she did not come back empty-handed.”

Blake listed to the story of Nahuel with horror and fascination.

“Brother, there is no danger here,” Aro said after a moment after hearing from the other half-human. “It is an unusual development, but I see no threat.”

“Is that your vote?”

“It is. And yours?” Marcus had already said to leave them be. Everyone anxiously looked at Caius, whose eyes seemed to flit everywhere, even places where no one was, and for a second, he was staring straight into her eyes.

“…we leave.” There was a collective gasp from behind Blake, and hisses of shock from the guard. Aro did not even bother to hide his amusement as he turned to the guard, Renata anxiously following him.

“Dear ones, we do not fight today.” The guard straightened and Blake turned to look at Jasper, holding hands tightly with Alice.

And then, just as the Volturi was disappearing, she woke with a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new years everyone!


	50. Chapter 50

The guard was surrounding her, as she blinked wearily up at them. Past the ringing in her ears, she could hear them arguing and she groaned, turning her head. Her head was pounding, and it hurt to even _blink._

She frowned, seeing red, and then snapped up at realizing that it was blood. Hands were immediately on her, pushing her back down onto the bed.

“Careful, Master. Careful. Can you hear me?” She turned her wide eyes to Anatoly who had, thankfully, stayed behind from the trial. She nodded and hissed as her head heavily protested the action. “That is good. I need you to lay back down. I understand the blood has frightened you, but it is from a nosebleed. I need you to calm yourself to allow me to examine you and determine if it is something more serious, yes?” She laid back, screwing her face up at the pressure that shot through her skull.

She blearily looked up at him, laying down and thinking over what she just witnessed.

So, he was examining her, and she let him, holding a towel to her face as blood gushed from her nose, the taste of it on her tongue and she had to fight herself to stay in the present and not think back to the raid.

It wasn’t that hard with all of the thoughts of her vision swarming around her head.

She knew she had manipulated it, hearing much more than she knew she should have, so she knew she must have subconsciously manipulated it to listen to the important stuff.

And now her nose was bleeding.

Fun.

It took it a long time to stop bleeding and Anatoly ordered her to stay in bed and then left, sending up juice and cookies that she was instructed to eat, seeing as she lost quite a bit of blood. She stayed in bed for a while before getting up and—after stumbling at the dizzy spell—jumped into the shower and got dressed in her own clothes.

When Martin knocked to inform her that everyone would be returning within the hour, she marched to the throne room, ignoring the gazes the guard threw at her. Standing just past the doors she turned to them, and they stopped, all still in the hall.

“No one in here. When they get here, tell them _only_ the other Masters are allowed in here. We need to have a few words,” She hissed. They all exchanged glances before bowing. She turned and they closed the doors behind her, two zooming through the room to go out the main door.

She climbed the steps with a wince and then sat in Aro’s throne, grinding her teeth.

When she felt their energy again, she nearly forgot her anger, but she dug her fingernails into her palm and steeled herself.

She was _pissed._

They should have told her _that._

Told her that the ones who were the criminals were her sister and brother and their family.

When she felt them enter the castle, she swung herself, so she was sitting sideways, legs thrown over one arm of the chair, head leaning against the other side.

She felt them with their elite guard close by and then felt them halt at Aleksei and Octavian. Then the doors were thrown open and they walked in. She didn’t look at them, only squared her jaw.

Then all the vampires outside the throne room were retreating, probably on one of their orders.

“ _Mio cara…”_

_“_ Don’t.”

“Blake?” He offered and she turned her eyes to them to see the three of them frozen near the doors, eyes wide. “You’ve seen it.” She turned her eyes back and shrugged her shoulders.

“Are you feeling alright?” Marcus blurted and she furrowed her brows turning to them. “Sick?”

“…do you think I’m _pregnant_?” The three of them winced. “Right…” she ignored the hurt that jabbed through her at their obvious disgust for the idea of her having a child with them. They could deal with that later.

“Think maybe you should have told me _who_ in America you were going after?”

“I told you, _piccola,_ ” she cut her eyes again. “Blake,” Aro corrected. “It was my decision, not theirs. I decided not to tell you. I knew you were going to be distressed and did not want to make it worse.” She swung herself to sit properly and glared down at them.

“You mean by telling me you were going to go kill my _family?”_ She hissed. “My sister, my _soul-brother,_ and their family? Didn’t think that was important?”

“None of them were harmed.”

“You killed Irina.”

“False witness.”

“You said no one died on the phone.” She narrowed her eyes on Caius.

“Irina was on neither side.” She sighed, rubbing her head with her fingers. Her head had been pounding since she woke up and it was not helping to argue.

“Whatever. I’m pissed at you all.” She stood and opened her arms with a pout. “But I missed you all and I think I will literally die if I don’t hold you right now.” Caius was immediately in her arms, holding her firmly against him, Marcus pressed against her back, holding her between the two of them. She offered her hand to Aro who took it in his gloved ones. When released, she hugged Aro and sighed at the ache in her chest relaxing.

She backed away from them and then crossed her arms, glaring at them.

“Now, what in the all unholy _fuck_ did you three think you were going to accomplish by not telling me?”

“We knew you would be angry with us either way, but if it had truly been an immortal child then the threat would have been too great. We had to deal with it.”

“So, instead of telling me, I have been thinking of the literal _worst_ things that you three could possibly be walking into. Do you realize that? The actual hell that it has been all these days without you. So anxious for you I haven’t been able to _eat_ nevermind _sleep._ Do you realize that?”

At least they had the decency to look ashamed, though Caius less so.

“This was what we thought to be the best way to proceed with this situation.” She rolled her eyes, sighing. “I understand that you’re mad.”

“I need some real sleep.” Caius offered to carry her and after glaring at him for a moment, she gave in. He tucked her in bed and then they asked if she wanted them to stay. They moved to Aro’s office across the hall when she ignored them.

With their presence at the forefront of her mind again, it didn’t take long for her to go to sleep, and this time, she stayed that way.

She was treated to a large breakfast in bed when she woke up and she scoffed, rolling her eyes but gave them fond looks.

Then her phone rang.

She frowned, reaching to get it from the side table, and upon seeing who it was, glared at the three of them.

“Get out.”

“ _Mio c—”_ She sharpened her gaze and Caius snapped his jaw shut and then they disappeared. She opened the phone.

“Oh my god, please tell me you all are fine,” she rushed, and Jasper chuckled on the other end.

“Hello to you too.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know! And—”

“Blake, it’s fine. No one was hurt.” She blinked, mind running through that. “Me and Alice are alone. We are the only ones that know of your bond. I apologize that we didn’t call you.”

“I didn’t know anything, so it was probably a good thing that you didn’t.”

“I am sure they didn’t tell you with your best interest in mind.” She glared at nothing.

“I can’t have you on their side as well.”

“Alright, alright, be that way. We want to invite—”

“You’re coming to our wedding!” Alice squealed and Blake fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it in surprise.

“Alice, love, calm down,” Jasper called, and Alice huffed loudly but hummed.

“Wedding?”

“Every decade or so, we renew our vows,” Jasper explained, “We’re having a full service this time and I would be very honored if you came.”

“Of course! Oh! This is so exciting, when is it?” She smiled, sitting up.

“Next week.” She spluttered and Jasper chuckled at her. “Yes, I know. Hardly any real time, but with some of our friends still in the area, we want to do it quickly. Don’t worry, they all have exceptional control: you will not be in any danger. I, personally, would like you to come a couple of days beforehand and just hang out? I’m certain Jasper wouldn’t oppose.”

“Of course not, that sounds very nice.” Blake smiled wide.

“You bet. I’d love to. I guess I’ll see you in a couple days?”

“Yay!” Alice squealed and Jasper and Blake laughed. Blake could practically see Alice spinning in a circle. “Okay, I’ll let you go so you can go inform your mates. Good luck!” Before she could respond, Alice had hung up. She stared there for a moment before laughing, dropping her head back on some pillows.

She ate some of the food and then got up to go get showered and dressed. Leaving the room, she went to the sitting area where the three of them stood as soon as she came in. She crossed her arms.

“Want to make it up to me?”

“Say the word.”

“I’m going a couple of days to Forks. Alone.” Caius’ face twisted into an angry snarl and she raised her brows, ignoring every instinct that was telling her this was a very angry apex predator and to _not_ do that. Because they also told her she was completely safe with him.

It was always fun trying to get her freaky gift to make up its mind around her mates.

“Absolutely not!”

“Alice and Jasper are getting married next week. You can show up then, I’m sure you’re invited. But I am going a couple of days ahead of time, and I will be going _alone.”_

_“_ We want to protect you—”

“Some of their friends are still there. They would question why one human would have you watching over me. I will take one guard. And that’s it.”

“ _Piccola—"_

“Do not even try, Aro,” She gave a tired sigh. “You were going to kill all of them. Were you going to tell me, when you got back? Or were you going to just watch me go crazy and start to hate them for abandoning me again? Would you have allowed me to fester in my anger? Or would you have told me and let me grieve them?” they exchanged looks and she swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat.

“We would have told you.”

“I want to believe you.” She blinked hard when her eyes started stinging. “But I don’t know if I do. But I am doing this. I’ll take one guard…and Afton. One guard plus Afton. I am going to go stay with my _soul-brother,_ whom you were prepared to murder two weeks ago, and then you can come to their wedding if you promise to behave. And I mean _behave._ Nothing out of line. When you’re at their wedding you will be a guest, not their leaders. Understand me?” They all looked like they were about to protest, and she sharpened her nerves and raised her head, narrowing her eyes.

“ _Do you understand me?”_

“Yes. We understand. That…is fair,” Marcus said. “We will abide by your rules. Will you allow us to choose your guard?” she nodded.

“Now, if you want to put aside your god complexes, I am going to go have Christmas with the guard and you can join if you do so.”

She turned and walked out of Aro’s chambers, smiling at Demetri who was looking at her with wide eyes. “Coming?” He fell into step with her towards her rooms.

“You think you can round about the guard in…the game room?” he gave her a look. “I’ll be fine, go. Come back after though, Imma need help.” He gave a hesitant nod and then was gone. She hobbled into her room and then stared at the large stack of presents she had gotten them. When Demetri came back, she asked if he could carry them.

“Who are these for?”

“You guys.” His eyes widened and he shook his head, arms clasped firmly behind him.

“No, Master. You do not give us—”

“Demetri. I wanted to.”

“But, Master—”

“Dammit, do I have to make it an order?” he looked between both of her eyes, very obviously fighting against how he was used to treating the Masters to how she had been treating them. Finally, he nodded, holding out his arms. She smiled at him and began putting gifts in his arms, before loading her own up. They began walking through the halls when her stack disappeared. She turned to where Afton made himself visible.

“I wanted to do this, guys. Christmas is something I’ve always celebrated with my dad. It would mean a lot if I can do it with all of you,” She finally muttered as she walked slowly with them, hand pressed firmly against her hip.

“Very well. Then we shall,” Demetri declared, and she lit up, giving him a wide smile. He smirked in return, only after rolling his eyes.

The game room was indeed sometimes used by the secretaries, and such, she had enlisted them to decorate it for Christmas and had left it up so that she and the guard all could celebrate when they returned.

They walked in and the guard stood and then looked at the wrapped presents in the arms of the vampires next to her.

Aleksei huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You’re making us do this, then?” She smiled, nodding. He looked resigned, glaring at the ground. Jane and Alec exchanged confused looks and Blake ushered Demetri and Afton to the tree where several other presents already rested. She turned to the room and swallowed. Martin flitted to her side.

“This human Master of ours likes Christmas and wants to celebrate it with us, even though it is belated. We have tried to talk her out of it, but alas, here we are.” They did. Vividly during the past couple of weeks, and she had told them she’d already bought everything, and she was doing it regardless.

The guard exchanged looks and Blake huffed, crossing her arms. “Alright, right now, during this, I am Blake and you all are who you are. The master-servant thing stays outside the door. Got it?” They all looked very alarmed and Demetri spoke up in Italian.

Blake turned and turned on some soft instrumental Christmas music, nothing with lyrics seeing as how most vampires seemed to think singers were trying to murder their ears.

She plopped herself on the floor, and immediately was bombarded with the elite guard telling her to take their seat which she brushed off.

“I _want_ to sit here, next to the tree. Come on, relax, guys. Ask Demetri, I’m a delight.” The said man rolled his eyes.

“Sure.” The guard, not Caius’, all narrowed their eyes at Demetri. Afton dropped himself on the ground opposite of her and grabbed a hold of Chelsea’s hand (who Blake knew wouldn’t use her gift on her by now and was comfortable being in her presence) and yanked her into his lap.

“Come on, guys. Relax. She just wants to share this with us. No test.” Heidi looked between the three of them for a moment, shooting glares at Caius’ guard which had sectioned themselves to the side before she nodded, gracefully crossing the room to stand by Demetri’s side.

“Very well…Blake. I hope we honor your holiday well.” Blake smiled at her. Blake talked and joked quietly with Demetri and Martin, waiting for the others to relax, and when they finally did, Blake reached behind her, grabbing a package, checked the name, and handed it to Felix. Demetri joined her side and helped start to divide the presents to who they belonged to and then she grabbed the two thin identical packages and stood, wincing slightly.

She crossed the room to where Jane and Alec were standing tensely against a wall.

“We haven’t interacted much since I’ve been here, and I’m sure that me being human isn’t ideal to you. However, I hope that will change once I am turned. So, here.” She held them out. They both slowly took them from her and she smiled down at them before turning and taking her spot back by the tree.

She watched as Felix tore into his gift and he laughed at the top thing: Anger Management book, and then dove into the box which had some collectible fighters. It seemed like something he would like, and by the way his eyes lit up, she did go.

She gifted Heidi a pair of high brand shoes that the vampire had looked at appraisingly. Demetri, she gave a long letter detailing how better he could prank the others (ahem—Anatoly) and had given him a cool metal cuff bracelet with some carvings on it.

Chelsea and Afton, she’d gotten them matching necklaces with some sappy phrase carves onto the back. She watched with a smile as they lovingly draped them on each other.

Renata, she’d given a charm bracelet with a box of charms to choose from. Said vampire looked ready to bolt when Blake had handed her the gift and had taken it with much hesitation.

She gave Aleksei an ornate knife carved from crystal which he seemed to admire. Julian had been given a crafting set.

Okay, so most of the gifts she grabbed had been complete guesses because she really only knew Demetri and Afton. Martin as well but not well.

She’d given Octavian some thin jeweled fabric that he could tie into his braids if he so desired. Didacus she’d gotten an antique quill. He seemed to like it.

She shoved Martin’s gift into his hand eagerly. He quirked a brow.

“Okay, but first, I have one for you.” She furrowed her brows.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, so you can buy us stuff but not the other way around? Isn’t Christmas traditionally _exchanging_ gifts?” She chuckled, nodded and he placed a poorly wrapped box into her hands.

She carefully tore into the paper, remembering when Bella had received a papercut.

It was a snow globe, with the castle inside. She blinked at it and then looked up to him with a smile.

“Thank you, Martin.” He nodded giving her a broad smile and a wink before opening his. Blake furrowed her brows, feeling her mates and Anatoly approaching. Everyone in the room went from (mostly) hesitantly relaxed to standing straight, faces blank when the door opened.

Blake scowled and leaned past Demetri’s legs to see her mates dressed in their dress shirts and pants, crests on proud display, but no cloaks.

“Everyone, at ease, this is Blake’s holiday, and I am sure she did not want you all at attention for it.” Martin immediately resumed opening it albeit further away from her and Marcus took his previous spot. Blake smiled at him and threw her arms around him. He chuckled and pat her back. Caius sat behind her, legs framing her own and she giggled, turning to smile at him before relaxing against him. She caught Aro’s gloved hand and pulled him to her other side. They exchanged small smiles before she turned back to Martin as he finished taking his present out of the packaging.

They were tickets to a local comedian along with one of those balls that supposedly bounces really high. She thought he’d have fun with it.

His eyes glinted when he looked at her. She gave him a thumbs-up before reaching behind Caius and tossing Anatoly a small package. He caught it with a raised brow.

“Open.”

He did so and immediately let out a sigh.

“What? It’s fitting,” She giggled. She had found a little vampire sticker and had drawn on it to make it a doctor vampire. She had included instructions to put it on his stethoscope.

“Must you do this?”

“Oh yes.” She laughed. “hey…can I braid your hair now?” He looked up with surprise. “I seem to recall you saying I could after my surgery.” His eyes looked behind her to each of her mates before he nodded, coming to sit in front of her. She cheered and took his hair down from the ponytail he had it in.

His silky hair laid on the floor as she combed her fingers through the entire length of it. The purple-black of it shifting of it around her fingers. Caius purred against the back of her neck, arms firm around her waist.

She decided to do tiny Dutch braids on the side of his head and then French braid the top of the section before fading into a fishtail. Her hands started cramping while she was still on the first side and had to keep pausing before continuing on.

When she finally finished, she smiled at it. “Looks good.” She turned to Aro who nodded.

“Well, thank you, I suppose,” Anatoly said before flashing to the other side of the room.

“Darling,” she turned to Marcus and then frowned when he placed a box in her lap. “ _Merry_ Christmas.”

She took it and her eyebrows shot up. They got her a smartphone!

She smiled at him before giving him a quick kiss. “Merry Christmas, my love.” He ducked his head, looking up at her through his lashes and her smile widened.

“Merry Christmas, _mio cara.”_ Caius pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, and she sighed, leaning back into him. She watched as Alec and Jane finally opened theirs. They paused before their lips barely curved up.

She had drawn both of them, as they had been in one of her visions, freshly turned, and looking excitedly out over the edge of a cliff while holding hands. The twins who finally got the power to defend themselves and were ready to take on immortality.

The guard knew about her gift, they’d been told shortly after the first time she’d had a vision while awake, just in case they found her like that again. So, at least she didn’t have to worry about explaining how she knew about that.

She felt warmth flood into her chest as she looked around the happy faces of the guard.

She had done this.

She had made them smile and _relax._

Even in the presence of their Masters.

She and her mates were going to need to have a long, serious conversation about their abhorrent actions, but not right now. Now, she was going to enjoy this time. She’d be damned if she let them ruin this for her.


	51. Chapter 51

She woke the next day and pointedly ignored Caius who was sitting by her bed and went to shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, fully dressed, she crossed her arms and glared at the three of them.

“Blake—”

“We’re going to talk now.”

“I thought that we were—”

“What? Did you think we were fine because I didn’t yell at you during my festivities?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I would rather catch my own arm on fire than let you ruin my favorite holiday.” They all winced. “Now, we’re going to discuss your downright awful decision.”

“We did what we thought was best for you,” Aro said.

“No, you fucking didn’t!” She threw her arms up and sighed. They were all watching her closely. “If you were doing what was best you would have told me about it. _All_ of it. You were going with the idea that you were going to kill all of them. My sister, her family, and my _soul-brother._ ” Marcus looked down.

“You all know a lot more about soul-bonds than I do. So, how about you tell me about how I would feel if you murdered him. Hm? _Tell me!”_

“Blake, please, we told you what you needed to know.” She turned her glare at Caius.

“This is my whole point! I _needed_ to know who it was, their supposed crime was secondary to that. I deserved to know who you were going after. We have talked about this before, but your goddamn superiority and outdated ideals _will_ destroy our bond if you can’t remedy it. You treated this again like I am your _property_ and not that I am my own person with my own feelings. I deserved to know.

“Do you have any idea how much it hurt me when I had that vision? To see it for myself instead of hearing it from you?” She stopped, turning her eyes to the ceiling as she blinked tears out of them. “It was _awful._ And there was a solid minute where I forgot you said no one died—which was a lie—that it felt like I would die because you had taken them from me.”

They all took a step and she held out her hand, squaring her jaw and shaking her head.

“Don’t.”

“Blake, please let us comfort you.”

“No. I’m like this because of you. So, you get to deal with it. This isn’t a fraction of what I felt when I couldn’t talk to you. Didn’t know where you were going, who you were going against. Didn’t know if you were outnumbered. I didn’t know if you were going to have to fight. And if you were going to fight, I didn’t know your odds.

“Think if our situation was reversed. How out of your mind would you have been?” She glared at them. Times like this, she wished they were human so they wouldn’t be so good at concealing their emotions. “I’m sure it would have driven you insane. But I still trusted you! And you took that trust and spat on it.”

“That was never our intention, _piccola._ Blake, please, just…” Aro trailed off, eyes misty with venom. She raised a brow, sneering at him.

“Just what? Hm? Aro, you are a master manipulator, but if you even try to weasel your way out of this, I will break our bond.” Aro snapped back, eyes wide. “You’ve been in my head. Tell me if I’m bluffing.”

She wasn’t.

“What is one thing I cannot stand?”

“Liars,” He whispered.

“You all _lied_ to me. I had every right to know what was going on. Remember when I first got here, before I knew about our bond? Remember what I was told? I know you do, it’s impossible for you to forget, after all. You said we were _equals._

“But if that was true then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I wouldn’t feel like you all betrayed me…God, if I had known, sure, I wouldn’t have liked it, and I cannot honestly tell you how I would have reacted.

“It probably would involve a lot of tears. But at least I wouldn’t feel like you were on a different side than me. We’re supposed to discuss things. We are in a relationship!”

The silence that reigned was heavy. Suffocating. But she kept her glare on them, trying to ignore her urge to _fight._ To shove them and scream and cry and everything in between.

“Our actions were deplorable, and we certainly still have much to learn on how to incorporate you into our dynamic,” Marcus started, and she gazed at him tiredly. “We never meant to hurt you. It was our intention to save you of some pain and…” he trailed off when she raised her hand.

“That’s not what you should do. I get it, I do. My instincts want to save you from pain, and I am sure they are much louder for you. But it’s not your job to stop me from pain. It’s your job to stay by my side through it.”

“We will do better,” Caius offered.

“You better. Actions speak louder than words, however.”

“Is there anything we can do in the immediate that can help ease your pain?” She frowned before smirking.

“…how much are you willing to go through?” Her mates exchanged looks.

“We would subject ourselves to Jane for you if you wished it.”

“Jane won’t be necessary.” That did nothing to calm the kings.

This was how she found herself sitting on Aro’s throne, her mates standing before her, and Martin across from them, looking between them and Blake with wide eyes.

“Martin. Do it,” Caius barked.

“But, Master—”

“They’ll heal, Martin. Besides, they volunteered. It would serve them right through the near heart failure they caused me from withholding vital information from me.” Martin was nervously glancing at her as she spoke.

“I understand your reasoning, but Master, these are my Masters. I—”

“I have used my gift on Master Aro before at his command,” Jane offered from her spot. “Go ahead.”

Martin sighed, taking a deep unneeded breath before nodding, looking back at the kings. Blake closed her eyes. It was their idea, but she didn’t want to watch it.

She heard the lightning crack through the room and the three simultaneous grunts, and she dismissed the guards as she opened her eyes. She descended the steps and crouched by them, holding their hands.

“Are you all used to settling disputes with pain?”

“Yes,” Caius gasped out, hissing.

“Well, hopefully, I can also change that about you guys. I hate seeing you in distress.” They all said the same about her. “I’m very angry with you. All of you. And it’s going to be a while before I can trust you fully again.” They sat up and nodded. They gazed at her sadly, but knew better than to try to push her.

Well, she thought they did. And Marcus and Caius did. Aro did not. Because the next day he wanted Anatoly to check her to see if she was pregnant.

“Oh, come on. Judging from how fast Renesmee grew, I’m sure I would know by now.”

“I will not take any chances,” Aro hissed. She frowned, crossing her arms to hopefully hide how upset that made her.

“Why are suddenly so hostile about it? You had just apologized about how you couldn’t give me kids. But you can!”

“I will not allow it!” She narrowed her eyes and Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Aro—”

“No! This is not up for debate.”

“Why the hell not?” She snapped. Aro turned his dark eyes on her. “You were so upset when you were apologizing to me that night. Was it all for my benefit? Was that a lie as well?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I meant everything that night.”

“Then what changed?”

“Did you see Isabella’s pregnancy?” Blake stopped short and shook her head slowly. “She was in _agony._ The entire term, she was in pain. Renesmee starved her, broke her from the inside out. Isabella was slowly dying as she carried her child. I will not allow you to go through it.” Blake paled, sitting back on the couch.

“If it wasn’t like that, and you wanted children, I would happily let you. But, Blake, she nearly didn’t survive. Even venom has its limits. Isabella just barely managed to transition into immortal life. I can’t- I _cannot,”_ His voice cracked, eyes misty, face distorted in grief in what might happen. “I cannot subject that to you. If you are pregnant, I will not force you to abort, but I’d rather know now than to be blindsided. Please, let Anatoly check over you. Please, Blake. _Please.”_ She cleared her throat and nodded slowly. She did not trust herself to speak.

The emotion on Aro’s face was so heartbreaking. She didn’t know what to think.

As Anatoly checked her over, starting an ultrasound, she heard her blood roaring in her ears. She didn’t know what she wanted. She had never seriously thought about having children of her own.

And based on Aro’s words, she had a feeling none of them were going to sleep with her again while she was still human. So, if she did want a kid of her own, she’d have to currently be with child.

But…is that what she wanted?

She watched with bated breath as Anatoly rubbed the camera thingy across her stomach. It was uncomfortable, and she gazed at the screen, but Anatoly was watching Aro who was looking at it. Guess it made sense, Aro would know from Carlisle’s memories what to look for.

“You’re not,” Aro breathed, and then sank to the floor. Blake hummed, not sure whether she should be upset.

“ _mio cara?”_ She looked at Caius who was gazing at her with a look she couldn’t decipher. Anatoly was gone, so she must have zoned out. “Are you alright?”

“…What if I _do_ want a kid?” Aro took a deep breath and Marcus blurred to stand in front of him, hand on his chest.

“Let her speak, Aro! Your decisions are usually sound, but not when it comes to her. She is not one of your subjects for you to rule as you please. She is our mate, and you _will_ listen to what she has to say.” Blake’s eyes filled with tears and she sat up, smiling slightly at his back.

“Thank you, Marcus.” She turned to Caius and lifted her hands. In a blur, he was on his knees in front of her, her hands in his own. “I want us to talk about this.”

“That’s fair.”

“Did Aro ask your opinion?”

“…no. He only shared the circumstances regarding your sister’s pregnancy.” She smiled softly, raising her hand to cup his jaw. He closed his eyes, leaning into her palm.

“Thought so. Hoped I was wrong, but I thought so. I _am_ asking your opinion.”

“I…do not know.”

“That’s fair. How about this, while I’m gone, you think about it. All of you. I’ll be doing my own thinking. Because this is not a decision that I will allow Aro to make for us.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead and stood, going to stand in front of Marcus and Aro.

Aro gazed at her with terror. “Please, don’t make me watch you like that.”

“I haven’t thought about it, Aro. You are not a dictator here, Aro. We’re in a relationship. This is something _big._ Do you not think I’m strong enough? Because I can assure you, if Bella did it, then I certainly can.”

Aro dropped to his knees in front of her, hands wrapped around her calves. “No, it’s not. Blake, I cannot see your sister’s thoughts, but I saw Edward’s. Could hear every snap of bone from Isabella. Watched as she thinned, became bruised.”

“I’ll be asking when I’m there. Anything you want to add to that description?” She squatted down and hesitated for a second before catching his hands in her own. He sucked in a breath.

“I am _so sorry_ I did that to you, Blake. I thought…I thought I was saving you from pain. I never meant—” a sob racked his body and Blake sighed, eyes filling with tears and she pulled him to her. His arms wrapped around her immediately, holding her close to him as his body racked with dry sobs.

“I am _so sorry._ ”

“I know.” She hugged him close, relishing in his feeling but heart hurting because of him at the same time. “But, please, Aro, we all need to be a part of this discussion. To have time to think about it for _ourselves._ This involves all of us. Because if we do it, it’ll be our child. All of ours. Do you understand?”

“…yes. Your thoughts are clear on it. I am s—”

“Please don’t apologize anymore. Come on, calm down.” The four of them ended up sitting on the floor, Blake in the middle of them. They were silent. The tension was thick, but this was not something that could just be brushed off.

They had done a great mistake this time, and she would be damned if she just dropped it. They can’t just treat her like that.


	52. Chapter 52

Blake excitedly flopped her phone against her thigh in the backseat of the cab, ignoring Aleksei just as how he had been doing to her since they left Volterra. Afton was on his other side but was invisible and the cabbie didn’t seem to notice or just ignored the almost murderous glare that Aleksei was giving the floorboards.

Why her mates chose Aleksei, she wasn’t sure. She thought for sure they’d send Demetri again.

Soon enough, they were pulling up to the Cullen house, where Blake could feel all kinds of unfamiliar vampire energies in it. Alice and Jasper were in the driveway. As soon as they stopped, Blake threw the door opened, and jumped Jasper, leaving Aleksei to pay.

Jasper chuckled, catching her and spinning her around. Alice’s arms wrapped around them both causing them to laugh.

Set back on her feet, she smiled up at her brother, nerves creeping over her which he batted away and she thanked him. She bit her lip.

“Can…Can I meet her?”

“Well, duh, she’s been waiting. Bella wants to see you too,” Alice said.

“Is that safe?”

“Very. She’s got better control than most of us do.” Well, that was certainly a surprise, but she figured she should just expect the unexpected from Bella by now. She jogged up the steps next to Jasper, blaringly aware that there were other vampires in the house.

They walked into the living room on the second floor and her eyes drifted across each other Cullens, her very beautiful and immortal sister, and finally to the little girl. Blake slowly walked over to her before dropping to her knees slowly and smiled. Renesmee smiled back at her and came up to her, raising her hand.

Blake tensed and she stopped.

“It’s okay.” Her eyes went to Bella who nodded. Blake turned back to her niece and nodded. Her little hand touched the side of her face and with it a collage of memories hit her.

Bella’s and Edward’s voice as they talked about the baby, the sight of a very sick looking and bleeding Bella, midsection cut wide open, to the joy of seeing immortal Bella and being held by her. The overwhelming sense of a mother’s embrace.

To learning to play the piano. To Bella showing her pictures of Blake and telling her that she was ‘Aunt Blake’ and that ‘she’ll be with us soon enough’.

And then it was the battlefield, and her touching Aro’s face, asking him not to hurt her. Then a question rang loud in her head ‘ _Are they the bad guys?’_

“Not at all,” she said when her vision returned to the Cullens’ living room. The girl pressed against her cheek again. ‘ _they’re the police then?’_

 _“_ Yes, that’s a good equivalent. It’s very nice to meet you, Renesmee.” The girl threw herself forward and Blake wrapped her arms around her, her _niece,_ and held tight, closing her stinging eyes as she rocked the two of them.

When they parted, she looked up to Bella.

“Well, immortality becomes you.” She saw a brief flicker of uncertainty cross over her face before she smiled.

“Yeah, it really does. Feels like I’ve always been made for this life.” Blake smiled and stood.

“You’re good to hug?” When she nodded and had others confirm it, she gave her freezing sister a hug. Pulling away, she looked at Jasper.

“So…who’s all here?”

“A couple of friends. Peter and Charlotte,” two vampires with bright red eyes appeared in the room and Blake waved, “they are my closest and oldest friends. New them shortly after I left my newborn years. Siobhan, Maggie, and Liam,” Three others appeared in the room, though they seemed less like they wanted to be there. “The Irish coven. Nomad Garrett,” A man with shaggy brown hair appeared before her, taking her hand in his which had Aleksei appearing in front of her, hand on Garrett’s chest.

Garrett looked down at the hand, before glaring back up and then eyes widening, backed up. “Did not think the Volturi went around babysitting humans.”

“We do if the human is to be turned and is in our care until then.”

“You break your own laws?” She turned to one of the Irish. “A human that lives amongst you?”

“Until the Olympic coven is ready to take her on as their responsibility, yes.” Two dark skinned vampires appeared, red eyes taking her in. Her skin was crawling, yelling at her to GET OUT.

She fisted a handful of Aleksei’s cloak.

“Is this something the Volturi offers everyone or just former members?”

“Are you insinuating we operate by favoritism?”

“It would not be a farfetched idea.”

“If a coven sincerely hoped to bring a human into their ranks and have one newborn already, yes, the Volturi would house them.”

“And bring them to a wedding?”

“It would hardly be fair to deny her witness of her soul-brother’s wedding.” Aleksei’s words had the newcomers and Bella giving very different physical reactions. “Now, if you’re done pestering me about my coven, the human is rather sensitive to all of you.”

“I just wanted to shake the lady’s hand,” Garrett said, eyes narrowed on Aleksei’s bowed head. Blake tightened her grip. When she dropped her hand, Aleksei moved to stand by her side. Garrett grabbed her hand and laid a kiss on her knuckles and squinted his blood-red eyes on her.

“You wouldn’t happen to be a member of the military, would you?” Her eyes lit up, some nerves melting away.

“Yeah! I was.” She instantly had his attention.

“Wait, is no one else concerned?” Edward asked. Blake turned to him with a frown.

“What?”

“The Volturi were _just_ here to eradicate us, and now they just happily hand over Blake?”

“If you were to be ‘eradicated’ as you put it, there would be cause and it would have been done in full,” Aleksei said quietly.

“Oh, my bad, what was up with the whole coven then?”

“Well maybe if instead you all cut me out of your lives, and told me, they would have heard it from you instead of Irina—”

“What would you know?” Edward interrupted and she narrowed her eyes, stepping closer to him. Blake cut her eyes to Bella and then Jasper.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you all cut me out? _Again?”_

 _“_ It was my decision,” Edward said, eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want to tell Aro because he has a habit of…collecting things he wants. He wants me and Alice and I figured if we told him about Renesmee that evidence of a crime would _conveniently_ pop up and then we would be enlisted to him.”

“He wouldn’t do that!”

“Why don’t we all calm down—” Carlisle tried to intervene.

“And how would you, _a human,_ possibly know more than me?”

“I happen to be in a position to know a hell of a lot more than you!” She reached up, grabbing her chain and yanking it so her crest came up and over her clothes.

The room went silent, everyone staring at her with wide eyes.

Aleksei appeared by her side, hissing over her shoulder towards the two dark-skinned vampires. She turned to see them staring with wide black eyes, teeth bared.

Jasper appeared in front of them, and a wave of unnatural serenity filled the room. Blake took a deep breath and looked over to Aleksei whose jaw was clenched. She winced.

She just fucked up bad.

Well, to be fair, her fuse was very short these days. Since finding out the truth about the trial.

“I don’t understand, what’s going on?” Bella asked.

“She’s Volturi. Either for her gift or she found her mate in the coven. Makes your conversation with Marcus make more sense—wait! You two knew about this!” Edward hissed, turning to Alice. Bella turned to Blake with wide eyes.

“What? No! They’re the enemy!”

“No, they’re fucking not!” Blake barked. “If they were, they would have killed you anyway. They were doing their job.”

“A job they stole!”

“What in the actual fuck are you talking about?” Blake snapped.

“Everyone!” Everyone turned to where Carlisle was, eyes dark. “Enough! Bella, Edward, I have tried to tell you before, the Volturi are far from the villains in our world. Blake, I understand you are upset, but I will take care of this. Benjamin, Tia, you have nothing to fear from Blake.

“All of us are here because Jasper and Alice wish to renew their vows as a married couple. I am inclined to give it to them. As coven leader, I am ordering my members to behave accordingly. Blake is a friend, and family.

“Edward, if you had shared with me your reasons for keeping this to ourselves, I would have set you on the right path of thinking. It would likely have saved us a lot of hardships. I have let you all do as you wish for the most part, but as your leader, this behavior must stop.

“The Volturi are _not_ our enemies. If you continue to antagonize them, they will have reason to be, however. Blake, I hope you know that you are always welcomed here. Siobhan, you are also of no danger.

“Blake being here, human nonetheless, knowing that all of you were here, were a sign of the Volturi’s trust as well. They had been misinformed, but they had acted justly with the knowledge they had. Which is why I had gathered you as witnesses; not fighters.

“Aro is not unjust, he holds justice to the highest degree. He does act in the best interest of our kind, even if it may not seem that way at times. That battle never took place. I ask that we _all_ leave it in the past. This is a happy occasion, Alice and Jasper once again taking vows. Please.”

The tension in the room dissipated and Aleksei slightly relaxed by her side.

“Blake, come with a walk with us?” she nodded to Alice and followed her and Jasper out of the house, Aleksei following behind dutifully. At the edge of the trees, Jasper picked her up and they were off.

They stopped at the clearing the Jasper showed her what vampires looked like in the sun all those months ago. It was hard to believe that was over a year ago. It felt like so much longer and shorter at the same time. Just depending on what she thought about.

She sat, looking at the treetops, holding her knees to her chest.

“I do deeply apologize that we didn’t tell you. We wanted to, but this was Edward’s mate and child, it was his decision.”

“…I’ve been getting a lot of apologies about this.”

“Your melancholy is thick around you. Are they in the doghouse?”

“They might not get out,” She muttered. He chuckled, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“When we left the Cullens, searing for other hybrids, we wanted to call you. But to keep it out of everyone’s head, we left all communications here.”

“I get it. It hurt, still does, but I understand…and I’m also going to be in trouble once they find out I did this,” She lifted her crest up. Alice giggled by Jasper’s side.

“But did you see everyone’s faces? It was _priceless.”_

“It was reckless,” Afton commented, and Alice flinched.

“I know! It’s not like I thought it through, though. He was just pissing me off.” She groaned, burying her face in her knees. “This is so much worse than what they did. At least they only affected me. Now, so many know about me.”

“…they likely will not be happy, yes.”

“Not happy? They’re going to _eat_ me.”

“I doubt that.” She picked her head up to stick her tongue out at Jasper. Afton materialized on Blake’s other side.

“Master, if I may, allow me to change your crest.” She snapped her head to Afton, hand clutching her crest protectively to her chest. “Your current one is the matching piece to the Masters. If I exchange for a lower guard…they won’t know your significance. The only one who got a clear look at it was Edward and I do not think he was paying much attention to the detail.”

“Won’t he notice the difference?”

“Edward doesn’t look too deeply into things like that,” Alice chimed in. Blake hummed and then slowly took her crest off and handed it to Aleksei who put it in his pocket immediately. Afton took his crest off and gave it to her.

As she slid it on, he began talking again. “In no way am I trying to negate your position, Master, but I do believe this is the safest option for you.”

“I agree,” Aleksei chimed in. She nodded her head. It made sense. If they didn’t already know, then it was better for them to think she had a mate in the guard instead of the kings.

Still wasn’t _safe,_ though.

“Okay, enough of that. Brighter things now!” Alice declared and Blake nodded, forcing the darker thoughts away. “Go on, Jazz, ask her.” Blake perked up, turning to look at Jasper. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

“Blake, I would really appreciate it if you would be my best man?” Blake blinked.

“Wait, really?”

“I mean, yeah. But if—” She launched herself to wrap her arms around him. He chuckled, reciprocating. “I take that as a yes?”

“Duh! Jasper! That means so much to me.” She backed away, giving him a blinding smile.

“I am glad. We have done many misfortunes by you, and I hope that we stop.”

“We will,” Alice added cryptically from the side, causing both of them to turn to her but she merely smiled and stood up. “Come on, I still need to make a few alterations. I know you don’t mind a suit, and let me just say: you’ll look fantastic. Your three mates won’t know what hit them.” With that, Alice flitted away.

“…does she do that often?”

“Yes, but not usually to me. She’s been more cryptic to me the past several months. Something is coming and she doesn’t want to ruin the surprise. At least that’s what I am assuming. Come on, you heard her, you need your measurements taken.” Blake grumbled but was smiling.

This was fine.

And the ache in her chest wasn’t really _that_ bad.

…why did it have to be so hard to lie to yourself?

The next day consisted of Blake giving Renesmee a late Christmas present at breakfast: a charm bracelet with her initials and an infinity sign. By the end of the day, she had snagged a friend in Garrett, which she just knew would irritate her mates. Which was just a bonus.

“So, military, huh?” he asked that night when she collapsed onto the couch. She nodded, taking a very much needed sip of her beer.

Beer was very much a part of who she was and being stuck drinking expensive wine and champagne for the past year was nice, but she missed beer and hard liquor.

The liquor, she was promised, would be at the wedding.

“Which branch?”

“Marine Corps.”

“Aye, nice. They have come along way since their founding.”

“Keep up with the military, do you?” He smirked.

“It’s a pastime. You can take the patriot out of the service but the fight hasn’t left me yet.”

“I bet you made a British joke about the Volturi,” She chuckled. Emmett snorted.

“One? The man never shut up about it. _God_.” She laughed and looked over to Garrett with a raised brow. He nodded.

“Old habits die hard.”

“I bet. When were you turned, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Aw, please, sugar, you can ask me anything you’d like.” Aleksei appeared next to him and Garrett cut his eyes up to him and he raised his hands in mock surrender. “I know better than to try for someone’s mate. Calm yourself.”

“Aleksei, it’s fine.” The vampire only took a step back, staying near Garrett. Jasper finally came down from Alice’s latest rant about the wedding and collapsed onto the couch next to Blake.

“Fine squadron we make here,” he joked, and Blake raised her glass.

“Hear, hear!” She took a sip of her beer.

“I was turned by a rogue vampire from one of the many newborn armies in the area, I’m assuming. I was with nine other soldiers. Whoever it was killed all of them and nearly me. But not quite! And here I am today, free to feast on the unsuspecting.” She quirked a brow, nodding.

“If you want a war story—talk to the Irish. They take great pride in their failed rebellion,” Jacob added from his spot across the room. They had come to a sort of…truce the night before. If one stays in line, the other would too.

She hadn’t seen or talked to any of the other shifters.

She turned her head to Liam, the first one of the Irish she saw. He inclined his head. “It was one hell of a rebellion.”

“What about you, love? Any stories you want to share?” She turned back to Garrett and tapped her finger to her jaw.

“Hmm, well you first so I have a basis to go off of.” He chuckled, pointing to her.

“You, I like. I was so close to getting to bite Custer, unfortunately, his death preceded me. Just barely, though. Just barely.” Blake chuckled, shaking her head.

“Um, okay let me think.” Blake sifted carefully through her memories.

“You should tell him about your night with us.” She snapped her eyes to Aleksei, but like always, he was looking at the ground.

“What?” Jasper said, and when she looked around, everyone was intrigued.

“Damn! Is little Blake taking on vampire criminals already?” Emmett shouted. Blake shook her head.

“No, no. Dammit… So, I may or may not have gone on an _unofficial_ mission last spring. Aleksei and…a couple of others went with me. I cleared out a base. It really wasn’t much—”

“What the hell?” Edward breathed.

Right…he could read minds.

“That…That was a bloodbath.” All eyes turned to her, the Cullens a little apprehensively, the rest eagerly. “There were well over fifty people there.”

“Okay, so maybe it was a big deal. But yeah, I cleared it out, and taught the object of my rage a good lesson before taking care of him as well.” Her mind involuntarily ticked back to the crunch of skull under her fist and she saw Edward flinch. “Sorry, man. Stay out of my head if you don’t like it.”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“I can shield her,” Bella spoke, coming back downstairs from where she had taken Renesmee to put her to sleep. “I’m sure her military secrets are in so much danger,” she joked. Blake rolled her eyes, finishing off her beer.

“Yes, because telling you guys military secrets is such a big deal. I’m pretty sure the fact that I’m moving to Italy is the bigger indiscretion.”

Bella was none too happy about the fact and had yelled at her the night before about how the Volturi couldn’t be trusted, which, thankfully, Carlisle had broken up. They were on a rocky alliance right now.

“Definitely. Any patriot would take much offense,” Garrett joked. Blake chuckled, and stood, taking her empty bottle with her when Esme smiled at her, handing her a new, opened beer. She smiled her thanks and sat back down.

“Did you receive your leg injury in that base?” Garrett asked and Blake shook her head.

“Before.”

“And you took on the whole base? By yourself? Fucking hell, you’re going to be one hell of a newborn.”

“I’ll take on the whole world.” She smiled, raising her glass to him. She had no doubt that she would be a handful once turned. Bella’s control was a huge exception and Blake knew that she herself would more than likely be like most newborns in the fact that they were driven by instinct and emotion.

It was going to be an interesting time that’s for sure.

“Is it Demetri?” Bella asked. Blake huffed, leaning her head back.

“I have neither confirmed nor denied any of your guesses, would you just give it up?” Blake asked. Bella was determined to find out who her mate was.

“Why won’t you tell me? Is he hurting you?” She glared at Bella and Carlisle snapped at her.

“It’s safer for Blake this way, Bella. If none of the vampires knows just who has a human mate in the Volturi, she’s safer. I doubt you’ll be human much longer?” Garrett lifted his brows.

“Nope. I’ll be out of this life before long. Funny, always knew I wouldn’t make it to twenty-five. To be fair, thought I was going to be blown to smithereens, this is better though.” He chuckled and Jasper sent her a wave of calm, causing her to smile at him. The idea of turning still terrified her but it’s just how it is.

Two days later, much to the annoyance of Aleksei, Blake was getting along great with Benjamin and Garrett. She had already promised to spar with Garrett as soon as possible after her turning. Jasper told her about his time in the newborn army, and the night after that, she had a vision of it and had woken up screaming, terror taking hold of her soul and she spent the rest of the night by his side, refusing to let him out of her sight.

She was gracefully informed she was going to be one of the only humans at the wedding, the guest list containing the pack and extras, and their vampire friends.

They told her she wouldn’t get eaten.

Garrett joked about it.

Aleksei almost went after him and Blake just sighed, completely fed up with him. She could see why he was on _Caius’_ private guard. He was about as testy as Caius was.

Though that may be because he was practically the only one there protecting her.

That couldn’t be an easy amount of stress knowing the three kings would tear him apart.

She’d managed to find out all about Bella’s pregnancy and since Edward was around, she couldn’t spend much time thinking about possibilities, but learning about it did make her severely call the idea into question. The horrifying evidence was enough to get her completely uneasy and also feel bad for how she treated Aro about it.

The day of the wedding, she was awoken by Alice at the break of dawn causing her to loudly complain, before eating breakfast quickly and letting Alice drag her upstairs.

She dressed in her suit while Rosalie started with Alice’s hair, the bride doing her own makeup at human speed. Blake, along with all the groomsmen, was wearing deep blue suits, the bridesmaid wearing more pastel blues.

Alice’s dress was hanging on a hook in the room still in a bag, and Alice had refused to let Blake see it so far, so it was just as much a mystery to her as to everyone else.

“Blake, pass me that bag?” she grabbed the bag in question and gave it to Alice who quickly opened it and took out more makeup.

“Blake! We need you!” Alice gave her a pointed look when she went to leave.

“No disclosing any of what you saw here. Swear it!”

“I swear,” Blake laughed, and Alice nodded, causing Rosalie to fuss at her. Blake shook her head and then carefully made her way down the stairs to where Jasper was getting ready. He turned to look at her with a pleading expression as soon as she came through the door.

Emmett was fussing over Jasper’s tie and Edward was nearby picking through what looked like fifty of the same color of pocket squares.

“…Well, this is certainly a sight.”

“If I knew they’d fuss this much, I would have tried harder to convince Alice to elope.”

“Not a chance!” Rosalie yelled and they chuckled.

“Here,” Blake offered, moving to take Emmett’s place a straightened the velvet tie. She pinned the underside of it and pressed her hands against his shoulders.

“Cold feet?” He grinned, showing off his teeth, which in turn, sent a sharp edge of fear through her.

“Not a chance.”

“Denali’s are here,” Edward muttered, not turning away from the fabrics in front of him. Blake paled, hand going up to her replacement crest which still felt horribly wrong to her. Jasper and Emmett both placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Nothing is going to happen to you.” She swallowed and nodded, and then felt the quickly approaching presence of the Denali’s. “Blake.” She snapped her eyes up to Jasper’s and she felt his calm edging at her and she allowed it to consume her. “You’ll be fine.” She nodded once again.

“What’s he doing?” She jerked her head towards Edward.

“Deciding which blue will complement the overall scheme better.” She raised her brows.

“It would be much simpler if every time I made a decision Alice wouldn’t see it and tell me to choose a different one.”

Blake chuckled and moved to his side and pointed to one at random. He waited a second before turning to her. “She just likes that because you chose it.”

“I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes. “They’re all the same.”

“To your eyes, maybe,” Emmett commented. “Not to us.”

“Really?” All three of them nodded. She hummed. “Cool.”

With each arrival, the vampiric presence was pressing hard against Blake and she felt around until Afton’s invisible hand pressed into hers. She had tried to calm her racing heart, but quickly found it was useless. Jasper could calm her, but she was still vividly aware of the danger she’d be in the moment she opened the door.

The moment that they all saw the Volturi crest which rested above her very human beating heart.

Jasper smiled at her after slipping his shining shoes on. “Ready to greet the masses?”

“If you want to make a run for it, I’ll guard the door.” They heard a couple of chuckles from the other room. Jasper smiled wide.

“I think I’ll be good.” He slipped an arm around her shoulder and she relaxed against him, sliding her arm around his waist. They walked out the door, and Blake’s pulse skyrocketed. All the eyes that turned to her instantly latched onto her crest.

Aleksei was there, of course, already by her side, and she took an involuntary step backward.

“There’s the groom. Come on, speech!” Garrett said, shooting Blake a wink when everyone’s attention left her…almost everyone’s anyway. Two blondes were still glaring fiercely at her.

Jasper’s words faded, Blake suddenly latching onto the feeling of her mates. They weren’t close yet, but they were close enough to feel them. It’d probably be about thirty minutes before they showed up. So, she smiled, and focused back onto Jasper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I've got an idea to when I want to have Blake turned and I need your opinions.  
> Would you guys prefer to have this turned into a sequel since it's already long?


	53. Chapter 53

Blake had already snagged a glass of champagne, stepping outside with Emmett and Aleksei when she felt the presence of the pack coming. Shortly thereafter, Seth ran through the doors and straight to her.

“Hi!”

“Hey,” she smiled and gladly accepted his hug. He pulled back and smiled at her, only tilting his head at her crest. “Didn’t think you’d be coming.”

“I _like_ them. The rest showed up to hopefully keep the peace.” She nodded.

The vampires began filtering outside to the absolutely gorgeous scene. It was the same area as Bella’s wedding, but looked completely different. The seating was set up different and the alter was completely encased by an arch of blue and white flowers. The trees were holding tassels of little white flowers framing the aisle while the ground was completely covered in the different blue and white flowers than the alter. Deep red flowers outlined each row of chairs and they are where the groomsmen and bridesmaids would stand.

It smelled amazing and she smiled at the scene.

Her smile widened when she felt her mates’ presence enter the house. Aleksei stepped closer to her and pulled her a step away from Seth. They both turned to the doors when the three kings came out, Renata dutifully keeping a hand on Aro’s shoulder, Jane, Alec, and Octavian following closely behind. Marcus’ eyes immediately fell on her while the other two gazed at all the vampires in attendance. He didn’t look particularly pleased with the necklace she wore.

Uh oh.

“Aro!”

“Carlisle, dear friend, I believe your children have simply outdone themselves this time. Isabella’s wedding was beautiful, of course, but experiencing this myself is much better,” Aro said, enclosing Carlisle’s hand in his own.

“Jasper, lovely to see you again. Congratulations to you and your mate.” Jasper inclined his head from his spot between Benjamin and Garrett. When Aro looked over at her, she felt her heart stutter, her instincts _screaming_ at her to go to them already.

Aleksei took her arm and led her over to them, and they both bowed.

“Ah, _Blake…_ I see America is treating you well.” His eyes sharpened on her pseudo crest, Caius’ jaw tightening at it, as well.

_Double uh oh._

“Very.” Aleksei tightened his grip on her arm. “ _Master,”_ she gritted out. Aleksei, Afton, and her agreed that to keep her the safest she could possibly be, that she pretends to be a mate of a lower guard, so that meant treating them like everyone else.

She already _hated it._ With every fiber of her being.

Their whole relationship was supposed to be _equals._

Not this.

“I am glad to hear it.” He did not sound glad. His eyes were firmly narrowed at the crest. He turned back to Carlisle. “I would appreciate seeing the bride for myself if I…may.” He furrowed his brow, tilting his head. Aleksei released her arm.

“Blake? I didn’t know you were coming.” Blake’s face dropped in horror and she slowly turned around to look at her dad. She stared at him with wide eyes, grip tightening around her glass as he hugged her. He pulled back with a frown. “What’s wron—”

“What the hell are you doing here?” She hissed, turning to look at Jasper who looked back with equally wide eyes. Because a very immortal Bella was just upstairs. Not to mention all of the visibly supernatural beings outside.

“What?” Aleksei grabbed her arm and she turned and watched as the three kings started walking towards Charlie, dark gazes on her dad.

“No!” She dropped the glass, struggling as Aleksei latched onto her and lifted her, carrying her. “No! Put me down! Don’t touch him!”

Alice was upstairs, listening to Aro with a small smile on her face when she gasped, falling into a vision.

“Bella! Get Sue! Now! Get Sue and Sam to Charlie _now!”_ she hissed when she got out of it. Bella didn’t waste any time in taking off. Alice caught Rosalie’s eye in the mirror as she adjusted her dress.

“Dammit,” those three were going to have a hell of a time getting back into Blake’s good graces.

Blake struggled even as she was passed onto Demetri, his hand covering her mouth as they edged near the side of the building.

“Wait!” she heard Bella call and snapped her head to the side to see Bella closing in on Charlie with Sam and Sue.

“You have no right to him. He knows no specifics of your kind, only ours, seeing as he is part of our pack. He’s marrying Sue shortly and therefor is our responsibility. You go after him, you go after all of us,” Sam said, voice full of authority. Blake paused, watching with heavy interest. Aro held his hand out to Sam. Sam gave it with a grimace. Aro nodded. Charlie was looking between the two with furrowed brows whispering to Bella.

“Very well.” With that, Demetri released her, and she took off running and slammed into Charlie, holding him close to her.

“ _Oof,”_ he breathed, but wrapped his arms around her as well. “Blake?” She was shaking, holding onto him. It was one thing to know she couldn’t see him again. It was another thing for Aro to almost kill him. When she calmed down, she pulled away from him with a quirked brow and turned to Sue.

“Marriage?” Charlie chuckled and wrapped an arm around Sue.

“Yes…sorry I haven’t told you. Bells said I had to be careful what I told because of where you were? I don’t understand. I thought you were in Italy?”

“It’s okay! And Bella needs to learn how to keep her mouth shut,” Blake breathed. Bella told her about vampires, told Charlie things he had no right knowing about. “But I am in Italy. I got surgery, see, I can run! I’m okay. You can tell me everything. Promise.” He nodded.

“Okay, missed you, kid.”

“Missed you too.” She hugged him again. She turned to Sam when he cleared his throat. He jerked his head to the side, so she parted with her dad and walked with Sam to the side of the house, Demetri and Felix following behind a little bit. She looked up at him, biting her lip, waiting for him to tell her off.

Instead, he heaved a tired sigh.

“I know you didn’t choose to go.” She waited while he rubbed the back of his head. “…and now you’re wearing their symbol.” She grabbed the crest and nodded. “An imprint? Err--mate?” She nodded again. He surprised her when he pulled her into a hug. Her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered, and he shook his head.

“Don’t. I was a dick. I am the one that is sorry.” She nodded, hugging his hot frame tighter.

“Don’t be a dick anymore.” He chuckled and nodded, moving back.

“Are you…happy?” She nodded, eyes lighting up.

“I really am. Sure, there are some major bumps in the road from recent actions, but I am happy there.”

“I’m glad. As your friend, that is all I should be concerned with. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t seem like you want to shift and tear everyone apart?”

“Well, having the Cullens practically be pack has altered everyone’s views pretty much. And I was just going to let them have Bella, they are no threat, they’ve proved that. It was Bella’s choice.” Blake nodded but then furrowed her brows.

“What do you mean by the Cullens being pack?” Just then, Emmett called her, and she had to dismiss herself to go into the house, meeting with Emmett, Edward, Peter, and Jasper. Peter took the furthest spot away from her, and she understood and gave him a small smile.

“Everyone remember what you’re supposed to do?” Edward asked and Blake nodded. She was the only one who _could_ forget. Emmett gave her a conspiratorial glance while they got into position and she nodded, ignoring Jasper’s curious gaze.

“Last moment as a free man!” Emmett clapped on Jasper’s back and they all laughed.

“I’d gladly take Alice over freedom.” Blake ‘aww’ed “And marriage is far from a trap as you would be wise to remember, Rosalie has and will lock you up.” They all chuckled again and then they were counting down.

They all ran out into the venue, the boys shoving Jasper, Blake had to back out of the fold a couple of times, hyperaware that their strength was far superior to her own and could easily snap her like a twig.

When they made their way up to the alter, all smiling like fools and chuckling, a couple of the guests rolling their eyes at their unusual entrance, Blake sighed, heart thundering in her chest as she took her spot to Jasper’s left. Peter behind her, then Emmett, then Edward. Blake turned her eyes to watch Charlotte walk down the aisle in a loose, pale blue dress that brushed the flowers with every step. Jasper gave her a huge smile which she returned as she took her spot. Next was Rosalie who looked like a model, nothing new, and Blake turned to see Emmett gazing lovingly at her.

Bella came next, hair pulled up into a nice updo, walking with a grace that was so unlike Bella that sent unease through Blake. She knew it was from the transformation, but it was startling, yet another reason why once turned you aren’t allowed to go back to your human relatives.

Everyone stood as the Bridal song started and the doors, which had been plastered with hanging flowers to obscure the view from either side. All of the windows had been, actually.

The doors opened and Blake turned to watch as Jasper’s face morphed into pure awe and love. Blake swallowed at that and turned to look. On Carlisle’s arm, Alice looked like a goddess.

Her dress was sleeveless, hugging her small frame beautifully. Form-fitting until her waist, it flared out into loose sheer waves that gave a whispy look to the white fabric beneath it. A light breeze swept through the area, ruffling the skirt.

She was looking at Jasper with smokey eyes full of love and a knowing twinkle as she and Carlisle trekked down the aisle.

She held a bouquet of blood-red flowers, contrasting beautifully with her dress and pale skin, with pitch-black hair.

Around her neck was a necklace that had two overlapping hearts, one the blue of the groomsmen, the other the pale blue of the bridesmaids.

Carlisle gave her a kiss on the forehead before handing her over to Jasper, and then heading back to his seat. Blake felt a new vampire approaching and turned to catch Edward’s eyes, thinking about it. He nodded and Blake figured that meant it was someone he knew and calmed down.

“Welcome, all of you,” a nomadic vampire named George was officiating the wedding, started as everyone took their seats. Blake folded her arms behind her, pointedly ignoring looking at the Volturi.

“This is quite the array of guests, family since the beginning,” He turned to Peter and then Charlotte, “Unlikely allies,” A pointed gaze to the corner where the pack was on Alice’s side.

Blake knew by the gazes a couple of people were sending, everyone was confused by why the Volturi chose to sit on Jasper’s side.

“And all those in between,” George’s red eyes focused on Blake and she smirked at him, nodding, causing a couple of chuckles to sound from the guests. “We are all gathered here today to witness the renewing of Mary Alice Brandon and Jasper Whitlock’s marriage vows. While completely useless to us, it is a very wonderful occasion to gather for.” The guests all smiled and nodded, and Alice rolled her eyes with a smile.

“An uncustomary meeting, Alice’s precognitive abilities allowing her to know her mate for years before meeting, these two have been inseparable since. As all of you know, their chemistry is…addictive. Their relationship is unlike anyone else’s. Anywhere they go, they just light up the room they’re in.

“Well, Alice does that anyway.” Everyone laughed. “Alright, alright, we all know all that.” Blake looked up to the new vampire standing on the roof. His eyes met hers.

“Alistair, hold your breath,” Alice interrupted and Blake blinked hard, unconsciously shifting closer to Jasper. Demetri moved closer to her from his spot near the edge of the rows of chairs.

“Well…yeah, there’s also that. These two have made it through so much and I wish this marriage starts the beginning of a more peaceful eternity.”

“What’s the fun in peace?” Garrett asked and, again, everyone laughed.

“These two have prepared their own vows. Alice.” Said bride nodded, looking down and taking a deep breath and looking up.

“I have changed these at least a thousand times and I know no matter what I do, I’ll never think they’re perfect. When I look at you, I am looking at my whole world. You’re everything I wanted when I woke up with no memory of who I was. You’re my _home._

“We understand each other with mere looks, and sometimes those looks are added to by our gifts,” She giggled. “We’ve had a lot happen since our last ceremony. We’ve gained a new member of our family, and a niece. You’ve found a soul-sister. But we have also faced a lot of hardships. With this renewal, we will see much better things.” She winked with a smirk. Jasper huffed, chuckling lowly.

“I can’t wait for you to experience what we will do together. So many new and exciting things that we get to take on together. I love you, Jasper Whitlock. We’re taking on eternity together and I cannot be more thankful for you.”

“Beautiful,” George commented before nodding to the groom. “Jasper.”

“Dammit, man, give a man a moment to recover from that,” Jasper chuckled, and cleared his throat. If Blake had to guess, she’d say his eyes were full of venom tears.

“Alice, my beautiful mate. We have known each other for twenty-one thousand, four hundred, and ninety-six days. Those days have been full of love and joy. You brought me peace and love and a family in that diner. I was confused as all hell, but I was intrigued by you.

“After all this time I still have that intrigue. I still look at you and feel you pulling me in. There will never be a day in our long lives that I look at you and feel something other than awe by you. You are the most perfect person for me and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of how lucky I am that you’re mine.

“With all of your cryptic quips and looks lately, I understand that we have something coming for us, and no matter what it is, we will face it together. I love you, Alice. And when the sun goes out, I’ll be by your side and it will be the only place for me.

“Without you, I’d be lost. So, here’s to us, and let us face this eternity together in marriage once again and many more, madame.”

“It is my honor to pronounce you man and wife. Again.” Everyone cheered when Jasper swooped down to wrap his arms around Alice, and they met in a searing kiss. Blake laughed, clapping as he spun her around.

Emmett pressed something into her hands, and she looked down, cackling at the small bottle of silly string. He counted down on his fingers above his head.

Three…two…one…

All the groomsmen and bridesmaids lept forward, spraying the couple with silly string, causing both of them to duck, and Jasper covered Alice, the two of them running at human speed back down the aisle and into the house.

Blake laughed, throwing her head back, and then Emmett had her in his arms.

“Let’s go bug your brother.”

“How did y’all do that without me seeing?” Alice shrieked. Everyone dissolved into fits of laughter again.

Alice’s reception dress was a periwinkle hi-low dress, with sheer long sleeves and cape attached. Blake watched her and Jasper dance with a smile on her face, glass of whiskey in her hand. Demetri sauntered over to her and bowed at the waist, hand held out.

“May I have this dance?” She caught sight of Anatoly over Demetri’s shoulder and smirked, downing her glass and putting it to the side. She accepted the hand and Demetri twirled her, leading her to the dancefloor.

“You’re especially popular tonight,” he commented. She scoffed, rolling her eyes as they began moving in sync to the music.

“Kind of hard not to be with this thing around my neck.”

“Yes, I imagine it is.” He lifted a singular brow before spinning her. She seamlessly resumed dancing with him at the end of it. “How’d that happen anyway?”

“I got pissed.” He laughed, throwing his head back. “ _Ha. Ha._ Whatever.”

“You are certainly going to be an enigma of a newborn.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” She chuckled, allowing him to bend her backwards and she closed her eyes while doing so. When he pulled her back up, the song ended. She had one hand on the back of his neck.

“Your sister seems to think I am your mate.”

“Wonder what gave her that impression,” Blake scoffed, shaking her head. The two started moving to the next song.

“Your actual mate will have my head.”

“Nah, not while already out of favor.” Demetri raised his brows at her and she laughed, twirling away from him. He followed her, easily leading her into complicated footwork that she matched effortlessly after so many months of training.

“We have different views on that matter.”

“Oh well. Guess you’re just going to have to believe me.”

It continued until Jasper and Alice challenged them to a dance-off, which resulted in Blake doing very complicated dances with Demetri that he was very mindful of her leg, but otherwise, just let herself enjoy everything.

Afterwards, she collapsed at a table, placing her sweaty forehead on her arms. Soon, the kings, Demetri, and Anatoly were seated at the same circular table. She didn’t move from her spot even as her very being was screaming at her to touch her mates.

“I would like to make a toast to my best man, Jasper.” Blake picked her head up to look to Peter. “Can the humans hear me?” Blake gave a thumbs up. “Good. Jasper, you’ve been a pain in my ass since I met you.” Everyone laughed and Jasper flipped him off with a wide smile on his face. “I personally don’t see Alice can put up with your gift, but I digress. You’ve always been there for me when I needed you, and that makes you one of the best people I have ever met. When I first saw you with Alice, I knew you two were the most magnificent couple that could exist. You’re both good for each other, and you operate together like no one else. I am so glad I could witness it so far. You two will continue to bless everyone throughout eternity.”

Several other people gave equally sweet comments before Alice and Jasper resumed dancing.

“How is your leg?” She turned to Anatoly with a shrug, sipping her whiskey.

“It’s alright, I guess.” She finished her glass and reached across to snatch the one from in front of Demetri who caught her wrist with a frown. “What?”

“How many of those have you had?”

“What does it matter?” She grumbled, taking the glass and snapping it back. She stood, giving him a wry smile. “If it’s alright with my _keeper,_ I’m going to go dance with my friends.”

She crossed the venue, not quite sure where the melancholy that was overtaking her was coming from, but she tried her best to brush it off and instead latching onto Emmett. He smiled and they danced together to some upbeat song before the song turned to ‘We Are Family’ and Jasper came and whisked them to the center of the dance floor, the whole Cullen Clan dancing in a circle, arms wrapped around each other, everyone belting out the lyrics completely off-key on purpose as they all laughed together. Blake chuckled, leaning her head against Jasper’s shoulder, and fought to stay in the moment.

She didn’t want to dissociate _now._

But she could feel the familiar numbness creeping over her.

When the song ended, she trekked back over to the Volturi’s table and gave a small, sad smile to her mates. Marcus furrowed his brow and reached out, his cold fingers touching her wrist.

“Are you alright?”

“…I’m not sure. Just PTSD acting up again a less than stellar time.”

This time, it was actually not PTSD’s fault, but it wasn’t like Blake was in any state of mind to tell the difference at the moment.

“Would you like to leave early?” Demetri asked.

“…I can’t do that to them.” As soon as she said that, Jasper’s presence was right next to her, hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see his concerned eyes.

“It’s alright, Blake. It was great having you here. But you’re crashing.” She frowned, tears of frustration building up in her eyes. “Hey, none of that,” He said softly, hand clasping the back of her head gently. “No need to be upset. We loved having you here, but you need to look after yourself. We will have plenty of weddings you get to crash.” She nodded, and stood, hugging him.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

“Don’t be. It’s alright.” He sent assurance over her and she nodded shakily and accepted the hug from Alice before quickly following Demetri to the limo in the front yard. She clambered in and immediately climbed into Marcus’ lap when he sat down. He wrapped his arms around her and purred against her.

“It’s alright. We’re here.” Caius and Aro pressed against her sides as the car started.

“We are here, _mio cara._ We are right here with you.” She broke down, starting to bawl, and latched onto all of them, just letting their presence wrap over her.

It was significantly better the longer she stayed in their grasps, and she finally nodded, taking a deep breath, leaning back to cup Marcus’ jaw.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, my love.” He purred at that, eyes slipping closed.

“Would you care to explain this then?” Caius growled and his hand blurred to the crest and used it to gently guide her face towards him. His eyes were dark, narrowed on her seemingly sinking into the purple rings around his eyes. She gave him a tentative smile.

He did not look amused.

“Well, Demetri and Afton—” she paused when he snarled viscously, and she leaned forward to place a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. “I know it’s bad, take it! God. I got mad, revealed it, and Afton, Demetri, _and I,_ all agreed it was safer if I wore a lower guard’s crest.” His eyes were black as he snapped the chain and threw it to the ground, leaning in to nuzzle her neck.

“Be that as it may…you were wearing _Afton’s crest?”_ Marcus hissed and she winced, turning the best she could to him with Caius holding her close.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed, and he purred, leaning against her.

“No tears, darling. Sleep now, we’ll talk more when you’re rested.” She shook her head, turning to Aro, and gripped his face with her hands.

“I’m sorry. I was so awful to you: I didn’t listen to _what_ you were saying. I was just so pissed at you, but I see now what you were talking about. I’m so sorry. I’d never put us through that pain. I’m sorry.” He shushed her, cradling her hands in his as he kissed her palms.

“I understand, _piccola._ Go to sleep, yes? We shall talk later. You need your rest.” When she calmed her sniffles, she fell into a worrisome slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it seems the general consensus was that everyone was fine with it just staying here, so that's what shall happen. Hope everyone enjoys


	54. Chapter 54

Marcus was still. Silent.

His eyes closed; he was seated cross-legged, naked, on the rocky shore of some crystal blue sea. Blake smiled, sitting next to him, watching how peaceful he was in this memory. His posture wasn’t stiff like he usually was nowadays, and he looked completely relaxed.

A feminine voice, in the language Caius usually spoke—Blake was guessing it was ancient Greek at this point—came from behind where they were. Blake watched in shock as a brilliant smile overtook Marcus’ face.

She’d never seen him smile like that.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side just as pale sparkling arms wrapped around his bare chest, long black hair covering his arm. Blake looked over at a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

They shared a warm kiss before the woman draped herself over his lap. He hummed, hands going to her waist as they smiled at each other. Their eyes were bright red, both gazing at each other like they were looking at their whole world.

The woman spoke with such grace and then Marcus was laughing, hands going up to the straps of her thin dress and ripping it from her body, letting it drift through the wind to the rocks below.

The woman laughed, shaking her head, lightly smacking his head, speaking rapidly. She was very beautiful, with a soft face but striking eyes that looked like one glare would strike anyone down.

Blake turned her eyes back to the ocean, furious jealousy taking root in her soul as the two immortals rocked together, murmuring in a language that Blake didn’t know.

She woke up sniffling, and simply turned over to get her sketchbook and drew Marcus with the woman over his shoulder, arms around his chest. She was alone, as she had been since hours after their return from the States. They had a matter they had to attend to urgently, so she’d been alone, and they hadn’t had time to talk.

It’s only been two days, but she missed them something terrible.

Her rightful crest had been around her neck when she had woken on the plane, and she had received a mix of glares from the three of them when she again explained the reasonings.

They still weren’t happy about it.

Blake closed her sketchbook with a sigh, flopping onto her bed. She didn’t know what time it was: but it was way too early to be conscious. She flopped onto her stomach, shoving her arms under her pillow.

She nearly flew from the bed when she felt her mates approaching and happily accepted Caius’ arms closing around her.

“ _mio cara,_ what are you doing awake at this hour?”

“Vision…drew it…can’t go back to sleep,” she murmured into his cloak, happily wrapping herself around him like a koala. He chuckled, and the next second her back was on the bed, and he was hovering over her. She turned her head to smile sleepily at Marcus and Aro.

“You guys done now?”

“Yes, little Swan, sorry it took so long so soon after being apart.” She shook her head, holding out her hand. His gloves touched her, and she scowled.

“You can take those off for now.” He did so and gave her a dazzling smile before reclaiming her hand. The four of them ended up in their customary cuddle pile, with Blake on top of Caius and the other two touching her side.

She turned, capturing Marcus’ lips in a searing kiss. He purred against her, hand gently cupping her jaw. She groaned, leaning into him, possessively gathering his hair in his hand.

He pulled back slightly. “Blake…”

She faked a cough, awkwardly laying back down, cursing herself silently.

“Wait, I did not…Blake, I have no quarrels. I just don’t want to risk my control with you.” She nodded against Caius’ chest. They typically only shared sweet kisses despite them doing more than that before, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it. He was always rather more withdrawn with her.

“Blake.” He picked her head up and then met her in a passionate kiss, holding her firmly by her hair. She yelped when he bit her on her lip and he met her in a battle of dominance before pulling away, leaving her panting.

“Do _not_ mistake me, my darling Blake. I will gladly enact in any form of intimacy with you. The only reservation I have about you is that you happen to be human and before you, my only close interaction with humans was with the feeding. I have to constantly beware of every touch I press against you, much more than Aro.”

She gave a shaky nod, smiling softly at him. “No, I get it. Really.” Well, she did now at least but wasn’t going to tell him that. He gave her a small quirk of his lips before giving her another peck.

“Do you think you can sleep?” She shook her head. “Would you like to talk now?” She nodded, and they all shifted so she was seated at the head of the bed in Caius’ lap, Aro and Marcus on their sides.

She first turned to Aro, cupping his face. “I freaked out at you about the kid thing, and that was not fair of me at all. I heard you but I wasn’t _listening_ and that was really a dick move of me especially since I’ve been preaching the importance of listening to you guys since I got here. I am so sorry.” He nodded, gently cradling her hands against his face.

“I was going to mention that. I voiced my reasoning behind the decision, I _begged_ you, and you brushed it off. Blake, I was hurt by that—" She flinched slightly— “Thank you for your apology. I apologize that we could not do that if you did want children. I know what Isabella went through and the fact that you recognize you. I forgive you for brushing aside my thoughts. Could you forgive me for not telling you about the trial?”

“I’ve been done that,” she cried, shaking her head and Caius purred against her back. “I’m so sorry.” Aro shook his head, smiling slightly.

“No more apologies from you. It’s nothing that we haven’t done to you multiple times. I know you were freaking out about the new information and weren’t thinking. It seems we all have some learning to do.” She gave a teary laugh and nodded.

The next day, they had yet another trial, and she was begging Aro with the other two staying behind him silently, looking on with amusement. Afton was standing next to her with visible distress.

“Blake it’s not safe.”

“Afton can literally be holding my hand. It’ll be fine. It’s cloudy today, anyway, you could send an entire battalion with me. It’ll be _fine._ Come on, please…” She drug it out.

“Why are two silent?” Aro asked, spinning around.

“I vote she can go.” She blinked in shock at Caius before cheering to which he gave her a wink.

“You would send her outside these walls?” Aro asked.

“It’s not if she’s leaving the city, Aro. She wishes to explore. Let her, as she said, she’ll have plenty of the guard with her. The sun will not shine today,” he said. All three of them turned to Marcus who was seemingly lost in thought.

“You take Octavian, Julian, and Aleksei, along with Afton and you can go.” She cheered again, jumping forward to give them both a kiss before turning to Aro who was pouting.

“Please, this is much safer than me going to a house full of vampires that don’t particularly like you.” He sighed, before relenting and she smiled, giving him a kiss as they went one way and she happily went the other, dragging Afton with her until she found the vampires she was looking for.

“You’re accompanying me outside today.” After looking for confirmation, they all made their way outside of the castle and after walking down the streets, Blake came across a few local shops and excitedly walked in, having to use Julian as a translator seeing as she still sucked at it. She ended up buying several trinkets with her mates’ nearly unlimited money before venturing to a food court to get lunch. Julian sat beside her on a bench, the invisible form of Afton pressing against her as the other two stood with one in front and one behind.

It was rather over the top, Blake thought, but she did know her mates and it was rather tame than what she knew they were capable of. So, it was alright.

Afterwards, she spent about an hour familiarizing herself with the streets before her leg started throbbing and they all returned to the castle. She found Marcus in the library and happily curled up next to him, him wrapping an arm carefully around her shoulder and starting to read the book aloud to her. She sighed, content, and dropped her head on his shoulder, hand going to his on her shoulder and gently drawing patterns there.

It was not long before Aro joined them and he grabbed his own book, silently taking the spot on Blake’s other side, curling against her. She gave him a smile and just let herself stew in their presence.

In the weeks that followed, Blake made it a habit to leave the castle late Saturday morning and then return in the evening, enjoying spending time in the city and getting to know the locals.

Aro was less than thrilled at first, but he eventually found that it did indeed make her happy and the likelihood of anything happening to her was next to none, so now, when she returned, she usually had at least one of them waiting for her in Aro’s room where she would curl up and tell them of her outing.

It seemed the vampire world got just as hectic as the human world did at the beginning of the year because it seemed the kings were needed almost constantly during her waking hours. She dreamed of the woman several more times and had just finished another sketch after a nap that she had taken—between therapy with Anatoly that morning and her time out of the castle she was exhauster—when Aro came in.

“May I see your masterpiece?”

“It’s from a vision,” she warned and he nodded, so she handed it over. He froze, one hand holding the book, the other hovering over it. Blake watched as a strange mask covered his features before he looked up.

“This is my sister,” Blake’s heart went cold. “Didyme.”

“Aro…I’m sorry. I didn’t know—” He waved it off and sat himself on the bed, looking at it gently.

“She’s been gone for nearly my entire immortal life. It had not crossed my mind that you would see her. If the furthest point you’ve seen?”

“I saw Caius when he was human.” Aro’s eyes snapped to hers, eyes wide. “It shocked me as well, I don’t know how this gift of mine works. It was the vision I had before you took me to the gym that time. Sometimes, this _gift_ makes me hate it. Seeing things when I have no power to stop it.”

“I understand the feeling well. I, however, do get the mercy of being able to see everything and the outcome unlike yourself.”

“Yeah,” She gave a wry smile, “We’re both kinda fucked in that aspect, aren’t we?” Aro snorted.

“I find it intriguing that our gifts pertain to what has happened. Once you are turned, would you mind so terribly if I attempt to build on it?” He murmured and she flashed him a bright smile which he returned.

“Of course not. Though, why wait?” Aro quirked a brow.

“It is already unusual to have this strong of a gift as a human, nevermind trying to control it,” He said gently, glove hand giving hers a soft squeeze. She furrowed her brows, turning her head to the side.

“But I’ve already worked on improving it.” Aro’s entire face lit up and in a blur he was kneeling in front of her, holding both hands in hers as he eagerly looked up at her. He was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Will you share it with me?” she laughed at his excitement and explained to him how she manipulated the dream about Demetri talking to Jasper over her call, of her interrupting one vision to see the one about them discussing her as their mate, how she had majorly manipulated the vision of the confrontation with the Cullens.

The entire time, he was increasingly becoming more visibly excited and amazed. When she finished, he asked for permission to touch her skin, she gave it to him. She hadn’t expected him to surge up and capture her lips in a frantic kiss.

But she certainly wasn’t complaining.

She giggled against him, wrapping her hands around his neck, resting on hand against his scalp, the other gripping the hair tightly and he gave a quiet growl, before she was flat on her back.

He pulled away from her and bit lightly down her neck and sucked a mark across her collarbone. She moaned and pulled him back up to her lips. He went willingly enough, and then they were interrupted by Marcus clearing his throat as he came in the room.

They both turned to him, exasperated.

“I believe you were sent to ask her what she wanted for dinner.”

“Marcus! She can manipulate her gift, beautifully _already_! Isn’t it just wonderful _?_ ” Marcus quirked a brow and walked further into the room.

“Is that so? I have to admit, darling, I never cease to be surprised by you.”

“Is it that big of a deal?” Aro turned, pinning her back down to the bed, staring intently into her eyes making her swallow.

“ _Oh, piccola,_ you have no idea. You are an amazing human, and I cannot wait to see how you will flourish in your immortal life.” She smirked up at him, leaning up to peck his lips, thinking about how she could finally pin _him_ down for a change. He quirked a brow when they separated and the next second, she was on his lap, his hands on her hips gently as he laid down on the bed, looking up at her reverently.

“I will always be at your mercy. Our respective strength inconsequential.” She blinked, stunned. He looked at her with so much honesty in his eyes that she couldn’t help but blush.

“May I inquire about your transformation?” Marcus asked and her mood immediately dropped. She sagged, but nodded, leaning down to pull Aro up by the shoulders, which he allowed, moving at her touch. She ended up sitting on the edge between the two of them.

She looked to Aro, “You’ve seen what I’ve told Caius.”

“You fear you will not fit into immortal life. That you will lose yourself.” She nodded.

Marcus grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. “That will not be the case. We shall be with you the entire time, helping you through the changes you will face. There is no doubt in my mind that you shall be alright.” She sniffled, giving him a smile and a small nod.

“I can assure you; it will be more natural to you than you think. Once your change is complete, you shall see for yourself,” Aro added. She tilted her head to lean it on his shoulder, holding Marcus’ hand.

“You guys promise?” She finally whispered. Marcus tightened his grip on her hand and Aro leaned his head against hers.

“Promise,” They both assured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's my birthday, so I might update more than once, no promises, but I'll be writing. Hope you all enjoy


	55. Chapter 55

Blake loved her time going into town when the sun was shining. Her guard would be following in the shadows, Afton following next to her invisibly. With her ability to walk for longer than she ever had been since being injured, it made her feel almost normal again.

She was aware that she’d be changing sometime in the next few months, but they hadn’t outright discussed it yet. She was becoming to not panic too much over it but it still wasn’t something she was ready to jump into yet.

Her time out of the castle was her human time. In the castle, she was just the next vampire to be turned.

Aro had argued that. Tried to make her realize it wasn’t anything like that. But it was how she felt, so that meant she would be stubborn about it. But they all looked thrilled to listen to her regale them with tales of her day out, talking avidly.

She also bought them little knickknacks.   
The first time Blake brought something, it was a little boy figurine which she drew fangs on and gave to Caius. He had grumbled about it, pretending that he hated it.

But it was on his desk.

So, actions speak louder than words.

Aro was absolutely delighted with anything that she grabbed for him, pleased that something made her think of him. Marcus accepted anything she produced for him with a small little smile.

This sunny Saturday, she parted with her mates with a kiss for each of them, eagerly going into town, despite a feeling of something not quite…right. There was a festival of some kind and she was excited about it. The few locals she’d been talking to had rubbed their excitement off on her and there was no way she was going to miss it. Aro had also assured her it was a beautiful event or music, food, dance, and just overall celebration.

Halfway across the world, Alice and Jasper were smiling and laughing, dancing through a busy street. Jasper twirled Alice and then immediately pulled her to his chest as she entered a vision. He felt her confusion and apprehension and then frowned as it quickly turned to horror of escalating intensity.

When she gasped, returning to conscious life, he had to hold her still to prevent her from freaking out and exposing them, seeing as how they were on a very busy, very _human_ street.

“Alice, darlin’, calm down.” If anything, her horror and dread spiked.

“We need to go _now.”_

_“_ Alice—”

“We have to find reception and call Aro. Right now. Let’s _go.”_ Jasper nodded, looking around and trying to plot the fastest way out without alerting anyway. Alice was shaking in his arms, holding onto his sides with crushing strength. He could feel the cracks as they formed.

Finally, he found one, and Alice nearly ran with him as he swiftly took them to the shaded alley before the two of them took off, Jasper following Alice’s lead. They were on an expedition with no technology, so to make a call to Aro, first, they had to get to an area with service.

Jasper’s confusion battled the horror he felt from Alice, seeing as she had not been able to see the Volturi clearly in nearly a year. The only time since was when she saw them coming to Forks.

Perhaps she saw an army? Or some large threat?

By this point in time, he really should be used to not being able to possibly know what Alice knew, and to not guess. Old habits are hard to break, anyway.

Blake happily sniffed a bouquet of flowers from a local shop that she had bought, bobbing her head along to the fun music. Afton was visible next to her, after her relentless begging. The guard was in the shadows of the buildings to her left, following along with them.

To her right was a bustle of vendors that had not been there previously, and she was more than willing to investigate them. Some of them were ore geared to tourists, and a local that she had seen a couple of times over the weeks, gave her and Afton directions to a calmer environment. They thanked her and followed the depicted route and came out into a square of buildings.

The entire thing was decorated in flowers and vines, candles lit precariously around the area. There were lights draped between buildings hanging over the plaza and alleys.

She ended up being dragged by a child to a large circle of people dancing and they laughed and began teaching her the steps. She laughed along, eventually getting a hand of it. After quickly lagging behind the energy of the children, she and the adults retired to get food from a local vendor and she laughed along with them, struggling with the conversation a bit until Afton regained his spot next to her and worked out what they couldn’t guess between them.

All in all, she was immensely enjoying the day, despite the strange feeling.

But it didn’t last.

Blake and Afton were going to start heading back when she dropped something and leaned down to pick it up. At the same time, that unusual feeling turned to pure danger and fear. She snapped her head up, Afton’s name on her lips, but he was gone. She turned her wide eyes and squinted through the sunlight.

…the _sunlight!_

She snapped her head up and made eye contact with Afton who was all the way across the plaza in a shady alley. She turned, seeing that her entire side was sunny. She took a deep breath, standing, and tried to reason that she felt scared because Afton suddenly disappeared.

A scream echoed in the year and Blake spun around, hand going to her hip, and she took in the sight. She saw a young woman being dragged into an alley by two men in hoodies and ski masks.

Blake huffed, taking off after them, not paying any mind to her leg. She could help someone, and she’d be damned if she didn’t.

She could still take an ex-special ops, she can take two thugs.

She chased after them and when they saw her, they doubled speed through the narrow alleyways. She spun a corner and was immediately punched in the face and knocked to the ground. He spat something in Italian she didn’t care for and turned to wrap her leg around his and pull.

He came crashing to the ground and she slammed the heel of her palm into his throat, jumping up as he fell down coughing violently. She ran after the other guy and slipped around him, driving her elbow back into his sternum. He dropped the woman and Blake sneered, slamming her fist forcefully against his skull a couple of times until he dropped to the ground.

The woman was whimpering behind her and she slowly turned, holding her hands up.

“English? You speak English?” the woman shakily nodded, staring at Blake with wide, teary eyes.

“Okay, it’s going to be alright. Okay? Let’s start with your name…”

**_Thirty Minutes Later_ **

Afton was going to die. It was as simple as that. He had gone after Blake after she ran off after a woman getting attacked as soon as he possibly could, only to find that her scent disappeared within the first few feet of the alley. He, Aleksei, and Octavian were searching the town while Julian had gone to inform the Masters that they could not find their mate.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her for hardly more than a minute, and it was hardly his fault, but now his Master was missing. His very _human_ master was missing.

If Master Caius didn’t kill him immediately, he’d be tortured for centuries for this transgression. Worse, if they could not locate Blake.

Julian arrived back at the castle just in time for the doors to fly open and Caius seize him by the throat causing cracks to appear and him to groan.

“Would you care to explain why Demetri can no longer _sense my mate?”_ The three kings had been in trial when Demetri gasped, all eyes going to him immediately. He had given a shaking hand to Aro, revealing that he could no longer sense Blake, and that was enough that Aro flung the prisoner aside on his way out of the castle, Marcus and Caius on his heels as he explained what Demetri had sensed.

Caius growled, throwing Julian away from him as he growled, itching to go and find what happened to his mate and _destroy_ it. If it wouldn’t have been for Marcus assuring them that the bond was not broken—i.e. Blake was not dead—that he and Aro hadn’t immediately torn the whole guard to pieces.

After a moment, Aro flicked his wrist, Julian’s decapitated-self crumbling into a pile as Aro growled and started running again, Marcus and Caius on his heels. Demetri, Renata, Jane, and Alec were right there with them. 

When they found Afton, they found him leaning over, fingers pressed against a scrape on the wall.

The entire alley smelled of filth, nonconsequential humans, and their mate. Blake’s sent was all over, like it had been planted.

“Afton!” Caius snarled just as Aro wrapped his hand around his throat and forced him to his knees, the sound of tearing metal echoing in the alley.

“Spread out. See if you can find her. Some alleys are like this: too much of her scent. Others are completely void it, including the one they _know_ she went down.” The guard nodded and disappeared. Renata hesitated and all three ancients glared at her, causing her to squeak and follow after the twins.

“Who could have got into the city undetected?”

“What immortal would be stupid enough to come into _our city_ and attack one of us?”

“I do not care one way or another!” Caius hollered, baring his teeth at the other two who immediately hissed back. “I want to have her _found._ Now! We can deal with the miscreants that dare lay their filthy hands on her.” He turned and stormed down one of the many intersecting alleys.

Why she was left alone, he did not know, neither was it of any interest to him at the moment. He just needed to make sure his mate was fine, and safe, and to have her in his arms. To ensure her safety and to _turn her so this couldn’t happen again._

He didn’t get very far before the scent abruptly stopped, making him take a step back, not realizing how literal Aro’s words were. He had never seen a gift as such. He needed to ensure whoever it was that touched her wouldn’t have the opportunity to again.

He turned down another one and was once again overwhelmed by her scent.

But it was off. Something about her scent was not _right._

He could not place it but knew that someone had to have taken her and covered it up with some kind of gift. Blake surely knew better than to _abandon_ her guard.

He growled, hands tightening into fists painfully tight and he froze, eyes catching something. He moved over to it and picked it up.

It was some sort of fabric…and Blake’s blood was on it.

He hissed, walking further down the alley to see that it opened immediately to a busy road.

“Aro!”

A minute later, Marcus, and Aro were right there and he wordlessly tossed the scentless garment at them.

He barely caught the smell of her on it, which should be impossible considering it was his _mate._ It was also fresh blood which should have been noticed immediately and it wasn’t.

He heard them both growl and he tore his eyes away from the road and his eyes cut the red spot on the pavement. He stepped into the road, uncaring of the automobiles, and bent down, fingers touching the slightly dry red spot. He touched it to his tongue and hissed, jaw going tight and he looked up, fear evidently on his face. His brothers were looking at him in horror.

More accurately, at Blake’s blood on his fingers and the spot on the curb that had a puddle of it. Caius gritted his teeth and stood, stepping back onto the sidewalk out of sheer force of will as to not reveal himself and have to slaughter his own city.

He stalked over to his brothers who were certainly fighting their own instincts to destroy any and everything in sight to find their mate.

“Master—” They all turned with vicious growls which caused Jane to flinch and hold out a cellular device. “Alice Cullen.” Aro snatched it.

“Aro! Do not let Blake out your sight! We’re on our way to you but if you let her out, she’s going to get taken.”

“Your punctuality could not have been better,” Caius hissed, wishing the little immortal was in front of him to inflict his anger on her.

“No!” Alice wailed. “We’re going to be there soon, Jasper and myself. We’ll do everything we can do to help.” She sniffed.

“Was it the Romanians?” Marcus growled. All three Masters looked at each other when it took a moment for Alice to respond.

“Aro…it wasn’t a vampire. Blake was taken by humans.” All four of the present immortals all went silent, that registering in their minds at a neck-breaking speed.

“What?” Jane took the initiative when it looked as if her Masters were already planning to burn the whole world, gently taking the phone back from Aro.

“In my vision, there was a woman that looked to be in distress. Blake chased after her and incapacitated the two perpetrators and started talking to the woman when she caught her off guard and tased her. A van pulled up and took Blake and the woman, the two masked men taking off shortly after they recovered and got into a car parked down the road. I’m sorry, but that’s all I know.”

“Your assistance will be appreciated…Demetri cannot sense her,” Jane continued looking up at her Master with the utmost respect. That was when Aro shook his head and nodded once.

“Yes, dear Alice, perhaps your gift will be of use here. If we intend to find her swiftly, I fear we may need to utilize all of the help we have available.”

“Would you allow us to call a tracker we know?” Jasper questioned.

“Yes,” Caius hissed. “Any help is needed, but only if they will assist and not betray us.”

“…we’ll work on it. We’ll be there in thirteen hours, at the earliest.”

“Alice...” Aro started gently, shoulders snapping back. “Do you have any idea what the human body can endure in thirteen hours?” He quirked a brow. “The amount of _torture_ that can be inflicted?” he hissed, voice maniacal and smooth, eyes narrowing in the promise of a painful death. “Do _better_ than thirteen hours. We will not wait for you. Which direction did the vehicle go?” When Alice told him and promised to try to get there sooner, Aro hurled the phone down the alley, it shattering into millions of minuscule particles.

“Master, if I may, perhaps it would be prudent to wait—” Caius backhanded Jane and bared his teeth at her.

“We will not sit idle as our mate is in unknown danger with enemies that we cannot sense. If you cannot be _silent_ and helpful, then you shall find yourself in a less than pleasant ordeal.” Jane nodded once, looking down and appearing much more her physical age, a few blonde strands framing her cracked face.

“We will find her,” Aro muttered, a crazed look in his eye. His chest felt as if there was a bomb attached to it. Like time was running out and he didn’t even know where to _begin._ He’s always known where to start. _Always._

And now, for the most important search he will ever lead in his immortal life, he hadn’t the faintest clue as to where to go or who to torture and execute.

He didn’t know how to find his little swan. He didn’t know where to go to make sure Blake wasn’t hurting.

Marcus would _not_ lose someone else. Especially Blake. Mate or not, she understood him, and he loved her with every fiber of his immortal body, and he would _not Fail **her.**_ He knew not of a gift like the one of manipulating Blake’s scent, but he knew a strong and flexible shield could render even Demetri’s gift useless.

If Alice’s gift was to be believed, and Aro had assured it usually was countless times before (Only a million and twenty-two thousand times since meeting her the previous year) then a group of humans worked to kidnap his mate, and he could see no value in that. However, they did know of _one_ shield with the power to disrupt Demetri’s gift and Marcus was already planning his activities for the immortal once he got ahold of him if he is to blame.

Marcus has spent millennia being numb, he could force himself to do so now even as his instincts clawed in his chest to release the rage that has been brewing.

Caius’ head was spinning. His already immortal mind was trying to think of possibilities and angles and potential threats so much so that he could not fit it all in his mind. Even as an immortal, who can think much more than humans, he was way overloaded.

He could not _think._ Every time he started to strategize to the best of his ability, he would see Blake’s face in his mind, and he had to start over. No matter what he did, he was constantly thinking of Blake and seeing her covered in blood of her own and battered and broken and _lifeless—_

He hissed, shaking his head and clearing the image from his mind. He can _focus_ like this. He had to protect her, find her, keep her, _change her._ He hissed.

He had to _stop_ thinking if he was going to do any of that. He would be of no use if he could do nothing but envision the worst.

His eyes filled with venom as he saw another version of Blake’s broken body and he ground his teeth as he looked up to Marcus who gave him a knowing look.

None of them were alone in this.

Except Blake.

Blake was alone where ever she was and likely did not know that Demetri could not find her.


	56. Chapter 56

Caius snarled, dismantling yet another vampire. They had been searching for two days with no leads in sight. Alice and Jasper had arrived in a timely manner and they only had been minimal assistance.

Caius had deployed the entirety of his guard to search for leads in the first hour of discovery Blake’s disappearance and they were scouring the continent trying to find _something._

They had tracked down the vampire with the ability to counteract Demetri’s and they discovered that he had been investigating the Volturi, but they had no knowledge of Blake. That didn’t stop them from tearing them apart.

The vampire, his name was Eugene, did agree to help them to the best of his ability. They had just discovered a group of newborns that had left the area. They were destroyed, having no leader to teach them the ways of the immortals, but had nothing to do with Blake’s disappearance.

The psychic was constantly searching her sight for clues, but it had not been much help as of yet. Their tracker was set to arrive soon, having been very hesitant to assist them, but with Jasper’s pleading to help find his soul-sister, he had agreed.

Aro caught Caius’ wrist when he turned. He snapped around, hissing.

“Stop. We need to check in with everyone else. Just stop for a moment.”

“Blake is out there somewhere—” Aro seized him by the collar, dragging him down to his height.

“You think I don’t know that?” He snarled, shaking him. “We cannot afford to be reckless, Caius. We’re searching completely blind. We have no idea who took her or why. We have people searching with identifying the human woman, and unfortunately, that is the best lead we have at the moment.” Caius snarled at him and Aro forced him to his knees. Caius sucked in a deep breath, leaning to lay his head on his brother’s chest. Aro gently cradled his head, carding his fingers in his hair.

“Aro—I _cannot_ think. I cannot think of anything besides what could possibly be happening to her. Aro…” He shook his head, vision swarming with venom. Aro nodded against him, holding him tightly to him.

“I know, brother. I know. But we must continue on. Call your guard. Check-in. _Now.”_ Caius hissed, but nodded, using his shaking hand to get his cellular phone from his pocket. He had to actively fight to not crush it with his strength as he called each group of guard members for an update as Aro did the same.

The results were the same: no new leads.

Caius snarled, sitting down and burying his face in his hands. Aro sat next to him. Marcus joined them, standing behind them with hands on their shoulders. Alice walked over, looking rather dejected.

“Masters,” she bowed, and Marcus nodded at her when neither of the other two made any move to acknowledge her presence. “I still haven’t had a helpful vision, but Alistair will be arriving within the next ten minutes.” Marcus nodded, scowl in place. Alice gave a small, sad smile before walking back over to her mate and a few members of the guard.

It wasn’t long before the rogue vampire showed up, the three masters walking over to him. Alistair glanced at them warily and then turned to Jasper.

“The woman from the wedding, yes?” Jasper nodded. “I don’t like you,” he said to the Masters, “I am here for him.” He turned around and started walking. He called over his shoulder, “this way.” The Masters looked at each other and then to the two Cullens.

“He can sense the general direction of his target. It works on her, apparently, so, this is the best option we have.” Her sentence wasn’t even finished when the kings and guard took off running behind Alistair and they started towards Florence.

They had to stop in a busy area of town, the place flooding with humans, and moved to the shadows, concealed from the sun by cloaks. Alistair circled a building a few times before nodding to it. “I’m getting led here.” He then shoved his hands in his pocket and leaned against a wall. Aro held out a hand.

“May I?” Aro could see the contempt mixing in the nomad’s eyes but then he huffed, giving him his hand. Aro nodded, after receiving the thoughts and nodded his thanks. The guard flanked him as they moved into the hotel.

It was hardly a place an intelligent person would keep a prisoner, but it did not change the fact that they did not know what to expect. They stormed through the front doors and the desk man looked up.

“How may I help you?” They ignored him and looked around, splitting with Aro and Marcus and half the guard going up one staircase, Caius and the other half going up the other.

On each floor they’d open the door and smell, searching for Blake’s sent.

They found it on the honeymoon suite.

Caius sped in, completely disregarding any laws of secrecy, and grabbed a drunken human by the neck. The human gasped, throwing his fist against Caius’ face, and immediately let out a gargled scream.

“Caius. Release him.” Caius glared over his shoulder at Aro.

“He has no need to talk when we have you.”

“Caius,” Aro warned and Caius growled, dropping the human heavily and put his foot on the man’s leg, applying enough pressure to be painful but not to break it. Yet. “This man was Blake’s commanding officer.” The man snapped his eyes up and narrowed them.

“You have Blake? I’ll kill all of you.” He slurred between coughs

“I believe this has been a misunderstanding, Mister Morley. If it hasn’t been, however, my brothers and I will spend a very long time making you pay for it. Do you understand, dear?” The man flicked his eyes between the lot and raising his head, reminding Caius a lot of the first interaction he had with Blake, which made him curse himself to focus.

“We are friends of Blake.” Jasper came in with Alice in tow. Jasper came to stand by the man, holding Alice’s hand in his. The man blinked a few times before nodding. Caius could admit that the empathic ability was of more use than he could have ever given credit for.

Next, Aro called for them to go and retrieve Chelsea from her post outside.

Caius kept both his glare and foot on the human. After Chelsea came in, they watched as the last of the human’s reservations dropped from her gift with help from Jasper.

The two of them together truly strengthened what they could do, they found out several days before. With Jasper’s gift as well, they could influence a person with no tie with them to be persuaded over.

It was a terrifying power that they would have to make sure never got out, lest the Volturi be challenged yet again for something they do not condone.

The man blinked languidly, before smiling up at Aro. “How can I be of assistance.”

“We were led here. I am going to ask you something simple.” Aro knelt near the man, looking at him in the eye. To anyone else, his tone of voice would have been nearly uninterested. But to those that knew Aro, his tone was terrifying. “Where is Blake?”

“I don’t know.” Aro’s hand shot out, wrapping around the human’s neck, and _squeezed._ The man gagged, hands clawing at Aro’s. His blunt nails chipped again his skin, busting and smearing blood on Aro’s pale white hand. He released the man with a snarl, turning.

Caius raised a brow, hesitant to ask what had the murderous expression come to Aro’s face. Aro turned, going to an envelope on the table and holding it out to Caius, who took it slowly. It reeked heavily of Blake.

“Mr. Morley here, has been receiving correspondences for the past week of previous soldiers going missing. Including Blake. Look inside,” Aro gritted his teeth, the grinding sound echoing in Caius’ ears.

Marcus joined Caius’ side, the both of them looking to Aro whose eyes were swimming with venom as he continuously clenched and unclenched his teeth. Whatever was in this envelope was most certainly not good.

Caius opened the enforced envelope and dumped the contents into his hand. He immediately hissed, vision going hazy red around the edges.

In his hand, was a piece of bloody skin with one of Blake’s birthmarks on it.

It was her _fucking skin._

Caius turned, Marcus snatching the skin from his hand and Caius moved. Someone was in the hall, and he didn’t think, just reached and brought their neck to his teeth, sucking the life from the human before dropping it to the ground, and then continued to the next one.

Alice gasped with wide eyes, coming back to the present as she watched Aro disappear after Caius had just murdered several humans.

He was going to kill the entire hotel. And Aro was going to help. Jasper ran a soothing hand over hers and she winced, feeling bad about worrying about a few humans when her mate was on the verge of losing a soul-bond.

“Doll,” He hissed, eyes black. She widened her eyes and brought his face to her shoulder. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, and though he’d fought it, she knew he couldn’t forever.

“go,” she said, making a decision for him early that he didn’t even know he was going to make it. He pulled back, holding his breath, and tilted his head at her. She swallowed, straightening his shirt to look anywhere but his face. “They’re killing everyone here. You need to feed. So, go.” Jasper hissed, gripping her wrists, making her look up to his simultaneously confused and angry expression.

“Is this a test?”

“No, honey. Trust me, yeah?”

“You know I do but…”

“I know, baby, I know. But we still need this one or Aro would have killed him. You’re about to lose control.” With a final question of asking if he was sure, he disappeared behind the two murderous Masters. He returned shortly, looking down at the ground and Alice gathered him in her arms.

“They’re not drinking them.”

“At this point it’s just the law, killing all witnesses,” Felix spoke from the other side of the room. Jasper nodded, taking a deep breath as he rubbed his face. His gold eyes had a few minuscule red dots peppering them, but they seemed to glow with a light that she hadn’t seen in a while and she had to change her train of thought before Jasper caught the emotions attached to it.

Marcus was glaring at the piece of flesh in his hand—as if that could make it not true. As if it could make it not so that he was holding a piece of his mate. A piece that had been crudely carved off.

He wanted nothing more than to let the rage within him out and to destroy whatever threat against Blake there was. But to do that, he first needed to know who it was, and so, he pushed them further down and turned to the human on the floor who was still spluttering.

He knelt, pulling him by the hair to look him in the eye.

“When did you receive this?”

“Yesterday,” he hissed. “I get something about each one every day.”

“What have you received today?”

“Nothing yet. Should be here soon.” Marcus didn’t doubt that Aro didn’t know that, but sent Felix to be on guard for mail outside, nonetheless.

“Have you calmed yourselves?” He asked as his two brothers walked back into the room.

“Enough,” Caius growled in a tone that Marcus hadn’t heard since the eradication of the Children of the Moon, which sent a shot of anger through himself. He would find whoever did this to Blake, and he’d enjoy tearing them to pieces alongside his brother: the best fighter the world has ever known.

And the world was about to remember why that was.

Caius was going to annihilate whatever stood between them and Blake. There was no question about that. What was still undetermined was left after and what state Blake would be in when they got to her.

Aro sat the man in a chair, and had him put the mailings he got so far in order. As he finished, they received a new piece of mail from Felix. Aro opened it and handed a piece of paper to the human who shakily nodded and reached for a laptop.

“It’s a link to a website. I am sure whatever it is, will not be pleasant.”

The three Masters gathered around the computer. Immediately upon the link coming did all of them growl, latching onto each other to prevent them from slamming their bodies through the human and computer.

Because on the far left of the live feed, Blake was suspended by chains on her wrists, beaten and bloody, shirt torn, and clearly in pain. The three ancients did not pay the three human males suspended with her any mind, all looking at their mate’s injured form.

Her head was down, but they knew it was her.

“Ah, Thomas Morley, you’ve gotten your mail…good,” a heavily accented voice spoke from out of frame. At the name, Blake snapped her head up, and the three vampires hissed, venom flying from their mouths.

Blake had two black eyes, blood dried to the majority of her face. She clenched her jaw, looking right into the camera.

A figure appeared directly in front of the camera, a human with no hair and a few missing teeth smiled at the camera.

“I hope you received the other gifts as well. Let us start the real fun.” He turned, walking towards Blake, causing all her mates to tense.

There was nothing for them to do. They did not know where Blake was, who had her, _nothing_.

They could do nothing but watch and vow that he would not get away with it.

They watched as the man approached Blake and could admire that she merely glared at him, even when he put his hands on her, one on her stomach, the other on her back.

“This, _this one._ We have your favorite, now, Thomas. The lone survivor of your best unit.” He gave a dry, mad cackle. “But not for long.”

Caius surged the pathetic human man up by his throat. “They have Blake because of _you?”_

“Caius, do not kill him.”

“You have everything we need.”

“Not if they want to negotiate with him and he’s dead before we can find her first.” Caius growled but released the filth and turned back, reluctantly, to watch the live feed.

They watched as the man trailed his hand up, when Blake suddenly slammed her head forward, it connecting with his face with a loud _crunch._

He cursed, backing up, hands flying to his bleeding nose. Blake smirked darkly, looking up towards the camera.

“Vai a Volterra. Trova Demetri. Volterra, signore! Non da nessun'altra parte.” She hissed in Italian before someone came into frame and slammed a pole against her midsection causing her to grit her teeth and slam her head back, the chains rattling. Had it been any other circumstances, the three ancients would have been incredibly impressed and proud of her Italian. But not now. Not when that sentence hit like a shot to the heart. Knowing they were letting their mate down when she needed them the most.

“Now!” The man yelled, and water poured over the four humans. A moment passed before a crack was heard and all four locked up, seizing as electricity pumped through them for a moment. When it stopped, Blake winced, shaking her head, before picking her head back up to glare at the man.

Caius knew if his heart beat, that it would have stopped. Because his mate thought that they could find her. That they knew where she was. But they did _not._ And they had no idea how to change that.

He would do anything to change that. Including destroying anything in his path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian courtesy of Google Translate: "Go to Volterra. Find Demetri. Volterra, sir! Not anywhere else."


	57. Chapter 57

**_Shortly after abduction…_ **

**_Undisclosed location…_ **

Blake grunted, being shoved to the ground after being pulled from a car. She had woken up on the floor of a van, whole body aching, hands bound behind her back. Now, she was barked at by the bitch to get up.

She was hauled up by a bruising grip on both upper arms. A man was on either side of her and was forcing her forward. She had to walk with them or risk completely messing up her leg. And if she was going to bust out, she needed to be in the best shape as possible.

She blinked rapidly as they forced her forward, trying to get her eyes to adjust. She heard a heavy door slammed behind her and she flinched. The men holding her chuckled. She heard grunts and groans and a few distant screams, and an involuntary shudder washed over her.

“Go ahead, cunt, relish the feeling of what you’re about to know.” She glared over her shoulder and got her arm yanked for the trouble, causing her to wince slightly.

They walked for a while, down many, many stairs, before walking into a very large open room. They walked by a body whose head was completely crushed, and she raised her chin, keeping her eyes forward.

There were prisoners being tortured in various ways throughout the room.

She was shoved down onto a chair, a leather strap buckled around her throat. She swallowed hard and glared up at a blurry figure who stroked her face gently before suddenly backhanding her.

Her head tried to snap to the side from the force, but the strap kept her firmly in place causing her to choke. She glared up at him, spitting the blood that had pulled in her mouth at him.

“Go fuck yourself.”

“I like you,” he said, cupping her jaw even as she struggled to try to pull away from him. “You have fight. It will be enjoyable to watch it leave you,” he chuckled darkly which sent prickles over her skin. She closed her eyes, counting to ten.

Demetri would lead her mates right to her. These bastards would pay for touching her.

“No words now?” She quirked a brow at him, watching as he smiled, showing off his rows of teeth.

“I have plenty of them. Which ones do you want to hear?”

“Ahh,” he sucked his teeth, “You must be under the impression you are here for your information. You are incorrect. I just wish to see you suffer. And I shall. Look around.” He walked behind her, reaching around to grab a firm grip on her jaw, and snatched to make her look across the room.

There were people strung up, bleeding profusely from whip marks, someone’s eyes had been carved out, a body laid on the ground rib bones surrounding him.

“I am a master if breaking the strong-minded. I understand you seem to be peculiarly adept in maintaining your composure. I shall cut it out of you with a smile.” He dropped her chin and went back around to squat in front of her.

“Bet.” She kicked him right in his stupid smile. He grunted, falling to the ground and something collided with her back, causing her body to spasm and jerk from the pain that flooded through her veins.

When it stopped, she slumped in the chair panting, but glared at the heap of man who was waving his men away. He stood up, growling in a foreign language as he spat out teeth. “You will pay for that, you _bitch.”_

_“_ Oh, I’m _so_ scared.” Blake. What the everloving _fuck_ are you doing? Shut up.

Despite knowing she should keep her mouth shut, her sixth sense was telling her that this was a very bad situation already. And she was terrified, but she’d be damned if she’d show it.

“You will be,” he spat in her face, and she forced herself not to flinch as blood and saliva sprayed over her. “I was going to start you off easy. To ease you into it, if you will.” He spat at her again, giving her a nasty grin. “I changed my mind.” With that, he called to a few masked people off to the side that she couldn’t see.

Her legs were seized by two men and pulled up. She grunted, biting her lip to stop from screaming at the fiery pain that shot through her hip. “These here are a pair of good friends of mine.” She glared at the man and then felt all color drain from her face at what he was holding.

They looked to be metal sandals with nails jutting up off of them. At the manic look in his eyes, it was not hard to figure what came next as the men yanked her shoes off.

She struggled, the leather biting at her neck, but the rest of her was free to wiggle. She turned, kicking her good leg out, trying to get free at any cost. The men around her laughed at her struggle, someone slamming her shoulders down. She grunted, trying to kick out, but her legs were caught by two separate men as the main guy knelt down, putting the metal plates down.

A scream forced her way out of her throat as one foot was shoved onto the spikes. A thick strap wrapped around the top of her foot, tightening to press her foot against it. When she finished panting, they forced the other foot on the other one.

She winced, looking blearily up at them through teary eyes. “Fuck. _You._ ”

“Look at you! Still speaking. Most don’t.” He laughed, patting her roughly on her face. “Alright. Get her up.” The strap around her neck was released from the chair, and she was forced to her feet.

She screamed.

The men around her jeered, forcing her forward to take a step. She immediately collapsed, much to the joy of her captors. She counted to ten in her head, just knowing that her mates could not be too far behind them.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but her whole body was either bruised or bleeding, and she wasn’t much better psychologically. A favorite method of theirs was waterboarding, and she could barely listen to the water dropping on the other side of the room without flinching.

She thought maybe the kings thought she left them. Would that explain why she was still here? Or was it something more sinister?

Was she right to question them? Is she not their mate?

She couldn’t fathom a reason why she was still here, why they hadn’t come save her yet. They always promised to keep her safe.

She couldn’t get herself out. Her leg was well and truly fucked, even without adding the new injuries in. Her feet had been freed not too long ago, but that meant nothing. They ached, pulsed, and had only slowed down on their bleeding. She could barely curl up on her little cot in her cage without burning pain shooting through them.

Her arms weren’t any better. She was usually suspended for hours at a time while the men took turns either carving her with a knife, whipping her, or electrocuting her.

Her back and torso were covered in dark bruises. Her face felt as if it was twice the size as it should be and she could hardly see enough to walk, or crawl, when they retrieved her from the cage.

They hooked her back up to some chains on her wrists and suspended her next to three other men. Three other ex U.S. soldiers.

She saw the camera light turn on and the men walked away. She let herself sag. It was no use trying to use any of her energy yet. They liked to make her wait for it. To not expect whatever was going to come next.

What she hadn’t expected out of anything, though she really should have, was for the man to say her old commanding officer’s name. From the grunts next to her, they recognized the name too.

After receiving a pretty brutal beating from a metal pole, she huffed, sagging, letting the blood flow from her mouth.

“Open the chat window. I wish to speak with him,” she faintly heard. She closed her eyes, trying to combat the spots trying to take over her vision. She jumped when the man yelled out. “Fine! You want to be tough, then so shall she.” With that, the man stalked over to her. She raised her chin, glaring defiantly down at him, and tried to stop the yelp that left her when she was suddenly dropped from the bar.

She stopped when on her knees, arms still firmly held up, making her stretch.

He grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look up at him. He squeezed behind her jaw until she was forced to open her mouth. He stuck a pair of pliers in her mouth and she screwed her eyes closed, tensing at the pain to come.

First came pressure.

Then came the terrible creaking-slash-ripping noise right in her ear.

Then came the unbearable shooting pain that seemed to radiate throughout her skull and down her spine as blood filled her mouth and down her throat. She gargled a scream as he turned and then yanked out a molar.

He released her as she sobbed, tongue hitting the area and immediately wincing hard at the flare of pain.

She kept her head down as he walked away. She knew he was speaking, but couldn’t force herself to understand the words as she tried to stop from crying, instead letting blood and spit run out of her mouth.

* * *

Caius’s fist was so tight, it was a wonder he didn’t crack as he watched the filth approach the camera and hold up Blake’s bloody tooth. “Now, how about you respond in chat.” Aro shoved the man towards the laptop who raised shaking hands to it and typed out a short message to confirm he was watching.

Caius was shaking, teeth grinding and Aro placed a hand on his shoulder, receiving a murderous glare.

“We have more faces to run through systems—”

“I don’t need faces, I need to rip that man’s spleen out from his throat and then make him wear it. And I need Blake to be _safe_ ,” he growled and Aro slapped him across the face, immediately being tackled and they crashed through two floors before Aro threw him off, drywall giving way easily to his form.

“You think I don’t?” He shouted, eyes black as he bared his teeth. “do you honestly think that I am even capable of going about this? I cannot. But we must. With us arguing we are doing nothing to help her!”

“We should have—” He cut himself off as Aro raised a brow.

“No, do go on, _brother._ What was it?” Caius glared defiantly at his brother, resisting the urge to dismantle him and just _run_ to try to find Blake. “I’ll tell you. You were going to say we should have never let her out of the castle. In which I’ll remind you, it was you that was the first to agree to let her out.”

“You cannot say that it has not been good for her.”

“She’s being _tortured!”_

“Well—”

“Yes, well, your little girl here murdered my father and brother along with most of our people. Everyone here has been under your orders to destroy that which we all held dear. Now you’ll pay for it.” Aro and Caius showed alarmed looks before they jumped through the holes they created to look back at the laptop.

“Son of a bitch,” Morley cursed. “He’s the new leader of the Sons of Masochists.” Caius slowly closed his eyes, dread filling him. He should have made _sure_ that they were eradicated. He knew better.

Marcus got his attention and two of them walked to the roof, overlooking the city.

“She could be anywhere,” he muttered, and Marcus put a hand on his shoulder.

“She could,” he agreed, voice strained, “but we shall find her, because there is no other option for us.” They both went silent, staring out over the expanse of the city.

“I should have made sure there were no other ties.”

“You could not have expected this. The likelihood that they found her…” They both shared sharp looks.

They had a traitor.

That was the only way that they could have known where to find Blake.

They zipped to Aro, both taking hold of one of his hands. Caius watched as his eyes narrowed. “I figured as much. The only question is if it was one of ours or one of the guests at the wedding.”

Alice walked over with Jasper. “I need to borrow Demetri. If we can make different decisions, I may be able to find out where they have her. Having their group’s name also gives me someone else to watch for.” Aro nodded, immediately agreeing.

This was the only thing they have.

That was, until Caius received a report from his guard. He turned, and there was a slightly transparent image of one of his guard, Antiochus, who had the gift of projecting his form.

“We have identified and tracked down the woman to a town in northern Egypt.”

“Have Casimir retrieve me and my brothers,” Caius said immediately and watched as his guard bowed lowly before the figure disappeared. Around him, the Volturi began moving.

“Alice, continue working with Demetri. Marcus, stay here with Thomas, I want to know if anything changes. If we find something, we shall send Casimir to collect you. Jasper, if you would tolerate parting with your mate, I would appreciate it if you came with us,” Aro said causing Jasper to nod. “Very good. Morley, do not antagonize him, but see if you can get any information, Felix will assist you.” The human shakily nodded and gulped when Felix approached him.

They all watched, Alice and Jasper with shock, as the air started vibrating, any particles in the air being flung away from the middle of the room before a pale vampire with a ridiculous bright blue mohawk appeared and bowed deeply before Caius.

“Master.”

“Casimir.” Jasper blinked hard before giving Alice a kiss and joining Caius’s side. “Aro, myself, and Jasper here are all you are transporting.” He nodded deeply, before holding out his hands. Caius locked hands with both Aro and Jasper before Aro grabbed Casimir’s.

“Prepare yourself, Jasper. This is less than pleasant.” With that, they were squeezed through the very atoms of the world before popping out in a shadowed alley. Even having experienced it many times over the centuries, Aro and Caius both had to fight to keep their balance and to swallow down any blood they had taken.

Jasper was not so lucky. He lost his balanced, laying in a mess of limbs as he heaved, a horrid mix of venom and human and animal blood spilling to the ground.

Caius groaned, straightening and looking at the alley where the dark vampire Antiochus appeared. He bowed his head lowly. “Master.”

“Where is she?”

“Currently in a pharmacy.” As Aro helped Jasper up and instructed him on how to keep the rest of his meal in his stomach, Caius followed his two guard members to see them point towards a pharmacy where a frazzled looking woman stepped out.

Caius bared his teeth at the sight of the human that helped take his mate. Taking a deep breath to control his urge to kill everything in sight to get to her, he calmly (read: barely acceptable as human) stalked across the street, his guard flanking him. He grabbed her by the upper arm and she froze, whole body locking up.

“If you make a noise, we will not hesitate to kill everyone here and then make you wish we killed you too.” She rapidly nodded. “Good girl,” he growled into her ear and she winced. He directed her down a narrow alley before shoving her down to the ground.

“Do you want money? I’ll give you money.” She scrambled for her purse, hands shaking.

“That will not be necessary Ms. Adams.” She snapped her head up to Aro where he appeared with Jasper, officially blocking her against the bricks.

“How do you know my name?”

“We’ve been looking for you the past few days. You see, you took someone very dear to my brother and myself,” Aro said, giving her a predatory grin, all teeth, and nowhere near resembling a human.

The woman gulped, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

“You must be mistaken—” Caius blurred forward to grab her by her greasy hair. She shrieked.

“Do not think to _lie to us,”_ He hissed. He threw her towards Aro. She landed face-first on the stones, bracing herself with her forearms to lift her bloody face to look up at him. Caius crossed his arms, latching onto himself to stop from ripping her limb from limb.

He could do that after Aro looked in her mind.

“Please, I had no other option. They would have _killed_ me.”

“What do you think we’re going to do?” Aro asked, quirking a brow as he lowered himself to her level. He seized her by the hair causing her to cry out. He _tsk-_ ed her. “No, no. Shh.” He ripped out her tongue and then slammed his hand over her mouth to muffle the scream that left her.

He dropped the bloody muscle to the ground, eyes flickering imperceptibly as he sifted through her memories. Then, Caius saw his look change, to anyone else they would not have noticed, but he did, and knew the woman was going to be dead before he got the chance to make her suffer.

Aro pushed his hand forward, shoving the woman’s head clear off her neck as he snarled and stood.

“A vampire is working with them,” he hissed. Caius took a step forward before stopping at the look his brother shot him. “I do not recognize the vampire, but it is him that caused Blake’s scent to scatter as it did.”

Caius took deep breaths, to try to help quell the anger in him. It would do no good to commit a human massacre here now.

“Do you know where they are keeping her?” Aro shook his head.

“No, they did not tell her. They paid her and dropped her off before taking Blake wherever they did.” Aro’s voice shook with his own need to not lose his control.

They could hold onto their control for so long, however, and everything around them would be annihilated when it broke.

Aro’s phone rang and he shakily grabbed it. “Marcus.”

“They wish to have a telephone call.”

* * *

Blake glared up at the man as he held a military satellite phone in his hand. Her skull was pulsing with pain, but she would listen to this conversation.

Finally, the phone rang and Blake’s whole body jerked when she heard Aro’s voice over the speaker.

“You know who I am, I think it only fitting you tell me your name,” he said, following Thomas’ speech pattern well.

“Not so fast, first I need a confirmation of who you are. Morgan, here.” Blake watched with teary eyes as she saw Morgan Morley come to stand next to her, in view of the camera.

“Hello father,” he chuckled. Aro was silent for a moment.

“What have you done?”

“Oh, _please._ As if you’ve never made deals with the other side.”

“Fucking traitor,” Blake hissed, spitting a mouthful of blood at him, ignoring the stab of pain that radiated from her jaw at the action. Morgan turned to her with a quirked brow.

“Swan!” Aro’s voice barked and she went silent, biting her lip. Why was he not here? Why was he on a call with this guy instead of being here to free her? He promised.

“No, no. Let the girl speak, Morley. See, I find it rich that someone who can murder entire families that night, off the official record, can be so free to insult someone.” Aro went silent for another short moment.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you don’t know, do you? Well, last spring, your little survivor here broke into our base and killed _everyone_ in there. Tortured my father. My brother’s body was right next to his. Considering she is no longer active duty, I think it is a little hypocritical of her to call your son traitor so freely.”

“He’s a fucking traitor,” The man to Blake’s left hissed. Morgan merely scoffed.

“No! You all barged into _their home._ Took over their rightful place at the top. You had no right to do so.”

“Morgan, they’ve brainwashed you,” Blake said and then hissed when he smacked her against the side of her face that she had a missing tooth.

“It’s America that does that,” He growled in her face.

“Think, Morgan,” the man to her left began. “The Sons are a bunch of manipulators and you know it. They’ll say anything to get someone on their side.”

“You’re wrong,” Morgan said, walking past Blake to stare the man in the face. “They are the saviors of those blinded by your propaganda. To help those victimized by you barging into their homes.”

“We were invited in, Morgan!” Someone shouted from the other end of the room. By the look on the man’s face, he hadn’t expected everyone to suddenly start speaking when they had all been silent with him.

“We did not walk in without permission. We were invited in by the people to get rid of them.”

“You lie!” Morgan hissed.

“No.” The man to her left said, getting his attention once again. “We’re telling you the truth. Your father would never stand for an unjustified stance.”

“My _father_ is a fucking abusive drunk bastard. These people are my salvation. And we’ll be yours, one way or another.” With that, Blake shrieked as another electric current pulsed through her body.

“Blake, I know sometimes it can be _untraceable,_ but sometimes hope is just within reach.” She sagged.

They didn’t know where she _was._

She only could rely on herself to get out.

She ground her teeth together, raising her head up to glare at Morgan. “I’ll kill you,” she vowed. He laughed, looking over her body. He raised his hand up and the chains yanked her back up so her feet weren’t touching the ground.

“I’d like to see you try.” He took a step and she braced herself for the pain before swinging her legs up to catch him around the neck. His eyes widened, hands going up to her legs.

She twisted her hands, grabbing hold of the chains, and _pulled._ She snapped her legs at the same time before turning her body quickly.

With a snap, she dropped his lifeless body to the ground. She glared at the other man, not paying any attention to the muted scream echoing from the phone.

“You’ll all pay for this.” The men to her left all raised their heads defiantly. Blake watched as the man set his jaw, rubbing his hands together.

“Well, you certainly have more darkness in you than meets the eye. You just killed your commanding officer’s son in front of him.” He nodded to the camera.

“Well, you’ve _pissed me off.”_

“Swan,” Aro’s voice had a pleading tone to it. He didn’t want her to goad him.

But if they didn’t know where she was, there was no hope for her. She was approaching her expiration. No one was kept alive here for too long, they kept them on a rotation. There were only two left that was here from before her.

She was on her own, and she'd be damned if she went quietly.

Her soul was hurting at the prospect of never getting to see her mates again, of never sitting in their presence, of never getting to know every and anything about them. Her soul strongly argued against leaving her mates alone.

But they wouldn’t be alone. They had each other long before she came along, and they’d be together even if and when she died here.

She took a deep breath, forcing the thoughts out of her head, even if the ache in her chest was growing so fast that it was rivaling the immense physical pain that she was in.

Then, she heard a familiar growl over the phone before pure anger and fear filled her, emotions way too strong to possibly be hers…was this what Caius’ was feeling?

* * *

For the first time, Caius thought Casimir’s gift wasn’t good enough. The vampire could appear in places he knew exactly where they were, thus, of no use to Blake. He watched as the light of hope left Blake, replaced by acceptance of death, something he had seen too many times in battle to not recognize.

He felt every inch of his being reject that notion. His mate was _not allowed_ to die on him. He growled, anger and pain, and fear all mixing into one as his vision narrowed. She was not allowed to go anywhere.

She needed to be with _him and his brothers._ Her _mates._ She was not permitted to die.

Alice gasped on the other side of the room, making him turn to glare at her only to see her eyes glazed over in a vision.

Aro was glaring between the phone and the laptop, wishing he was there to tear apart everyone he could to release his mate from those chains. When she killed Morley’s son, he saw the injuries on her legs and feet and knew she had to be in terrible pain.

But that also revealed that even if she could get the advantage in a fight, that it would not last long with her unable to walk. He knew that he needed to find her, her injuries were too grave for her to fight off an unknown number of adversaries, never mind the vampire that was assisting them.

When he saw acceptance pass over her face, he wanted to scream at her to not give up but knew that would only anger the ones holding her hostage and there was no telling what else they would do to her.

He got up and sped over to Alice, taking her hands into his as she entered a vision.

Marcus was outside, painting the streets red. He could not feed, his throat was too tight, instead, he took out his feeling of helplessness on the humans of the area. He knew Jane and Felix were following him, making sure there were no witnesses, but he knew there would be no survivors of the busy area.

He failed Didyme, he could not fail his _mate._

He let out an anguished wail as he broke another human into pieces. He slid to his knees, watching blood run over the cobblestones as he kept seeing Blake’s acceptance in his mind.

She knew her odds as well as they did. Probably better, since she was witness to the rest of what that despicable piece of human filth committed. If the psychic was unable to find any leads, there would be no rescuing her.

Dozens of immortals were scouring the planet and could find no trace of her scent.

Blake was alone somewhere, being tortured, and had accepted death.

But Marcus could not accept that.

When they first found their mate, they had discussed the possibility of her rejecting them and had accepted that. But now, that was no longer an option. It was hardly one to begin with. They had already met her then, had already formed a bond. If she were to leave then, they would have been severely impacted.

If Blake were to die now, they would follow not long after.

They had to find her.

When he heard Aro gasp from the hotel, he turned, watching as Aro appeared at a window to look down at the carnage that Marcus had created.

“We have something.”

With those three words, Marcus focused on his brother, trying to push any thoughts of failure out of his head, and nodded.

She was still alive, which meant they still had time to find her.

She wasn’t gone yet, and Marcus needed to keep his mind to help find her.


	58. Chapter 58

Blake stared into the camera, knowing that Aro could see her, and tried to apologize with her eyes. Tried to scream all the words she never said to him. Tried to say ‘ _I don’t want to die, but there is no other option. And I can’t just take this laying down.’_

She turned to the man next to her and he nodded a couple of times at her.

“Hey, no communicating!” Someone stepped up to them with a metal pole and the man wrangled his legs around their assailant’s throat before dropping him with a crack. Blake took a deep breath and then heaved herself up with all her might and bit her hand to yank her thumb out of socket.

Shouting started as their captors realized what they were doing. She wrenched her hand free, using the other to still hold on for leverage as she swung her aching leg to kick someone dead in the face. She pulled herself back up and managed to wrestle her other hand free.

She hit the ground hard, knocking all the breath from her lungs. She was grabbed by her ankle and gritted her teeth to stop from screaming at the pain and twisted, pulling herself up to slam her fist against his face, earning a satisfying crunch.

The soldier next to her pulled her to her feet and she collapsed. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Can you hold on?”

“Yeah.” He nodded and they made their way to the far wall, each wrestling someone each time they got close enough to do so. Other soldiers soon joined them, and they had their weapons: poles and knives. Someone shoved a pole in her hand which she made fun and quick use of.

They slammed through a door and then barricaded it.

They locked themselves in a storage room.

The man, Derrick he said his name was, lowered Blake to the ground gently and examined her feet.

“You’ll have to be carried anytime we move. There’s no way possible you can walk on those.” The others were looking around, busting open boxes. One of them caught her attention when he ‘ _whooped’_ quietly.

“Here we go, everyone.” Guns and ammo were passed among them and Blake sighed, holding the weapon in hand as she glared at the door where they could hear people bustling against it.

“We should push the crates in front of the door. Get anything useful first.” Derrick agreed with her and she pulled herself to the side of some unconscious woman and made work on tearing her shirt to tie around her rather alarming wounds.

“Don’t bother. I’m not going to make it.” Blake tightened it, sending the woman a playful glare.

“Piss off. We don’t leave anyone behind, you hear? You’re not authorized to die, Marine. We’re all going to fight our way out of this. Thomas didn’t have anyone but the best under him.” The woman gave a grimace that probably was supposed to be a smirk. “Got a name?”

“Bethany,” She murmured, wincing under Blake’s hands.

“Well, Bethany, I’m Blake. Got anyone waiting on you?” She gave a dreary nod.

“Twin toddlers.”

“Oh boy, that must be a real hassle. I don’t have kids, but I do have a few partners that act like toddlers sometimes,” Blake snorted, ignoring the fresh jab in her chest thinking about them. “So, think about those kids, yeah? Can’t leave them.”

“Can’t…” She drifted back off and Blake checked to make sure she was still breathing before going back to trying to stop blood from flooding from Bethany’s leg.

“IFAKs!” Someone shouted and then she was being handed rolls of gauze and bandages. She used the tourniquet on Bethany’s leg, effectively staunching the flow. Her hands shook, but that was all, she still was in the moment instead of the head.

No wonder, seeing how this was quite literally life or death.

“Anyone know where we are?” Everyone gave off negatives and Derrick barked at her to wrap her feet.

She did so, cataloging everyone else’s injuries. Most had limps of one sort or another, deep half sealed shut cuts, and a couple seemed to be missing a tooth or two like her.

She managed to lift herself up to a crate and worked on wrapping up everyone else. They all nodded their thanks to her as they all talked about strategies.

Seeing as how they all only knew the main room, there wasn’t much they could theorize. Blake recounted the hazy path she took when she got here, and they pieced together everyone’s memories to get an idea of where to go to get out of the building.

But even armed, they had no idea what they are up against.

They likely had real weapons out there too, they would be stupid not to. They all had one gun each and a few clips. It wasn’t much if this was going to be a firefight. More so, if they were outnumbered, for they have no idea.

There were seven of them, eight including Bethany. Blake could barely walk, so that would put them at disadvantage as well. All of them could just barely walk, so…All in all, odds were looking pretty bleak.

“If you come out now, you will die quickly!” the voice thundered as the pounding on the door stopped. All the marines shared glances.

“Go fuck yourselves!” They all yelled.

“When I get my hands on you…”

They shuffled around the room for they don’t know how long. Their captors, the Sons, apparently, were trying to break into the room, and they were all nervously watching it. It was only a matter of time before they got in.

They all told each other, very quietly, who to inform if they didn’t make it. It seemed some of them belonged to the same unit. Blake didn’t know any of them but promised if she made it out and one of them didn’t that, she’d make sure their families had closure.

After what seemed like forever, everyone stationed at various positions around the room, the door busted open.

Aro was flying through the countryside, his brothers beside him and the guard following a distance away, after he had decapitated Jane when she asked what was a rather stupid question in his opinion.

They knew better than to mess with him if he hurt _Jane._

The vision Alice had was of one of the men on the feed in a town several hundred miles away. They were almost there.

Upon entering the busy town square, they slowed to a speed that was barely passable as human, when a breeze went by that had them slamming to a stop and snapping their heads to the side.

Blake’s scent.

Aro barged into the store it came from, startling an elderly woman who was perusing the shelves of the pawnshop. He went to the glass case, and once making sure his brothers had removed all customers, broke the glass and held up Blake’s crest, with speckles of her dried blood on it. He turned and looked at the alarmed worker.

“Who brought this?” He growled in Italian.

“So-Some man. He didn’t leave a name.” Demetri came forward with pictures of the men from the call and he nodded, shakily pointing to one, flicking his eyes between the vampires in the room.

“Take care of this,” He hissed at Demetri after touching the man’s hand, getting next to no information. But they had the filth’s scent, and that would certainly aid.

And it _did._

Casimir had disappeared to go retrieve two other of Caius’ personal guard, two vampires which Aro had only missed acquiring by a hair.

So, he stood outside, glaring at anyone who dared look his way, Blake’s crest held tightly in his hand. Alistair came over, hand out. Hesitating only for a second, Aro handed it to him, watching with sharp eyes as Alistair took deep breaths.

He nodded once and Aro’s being lit up with hope. He turned, hearing the disturbance of particles in the alley, and watched as a vampire whiter than snow, with hair black as ebony, and blood-red lips strutted out of the alley, bright red eyes intent on Caius. She came forward and bowed her head.

“Lysandra, where’s Hollis?”

“Here, Master. I’m here!” Hollis was also pale and had long honey color hair. She jogged up to Lysandra, leaning on her as she held her stomach.

“Alistair, lead the way.” He nodded, and Alice gasped again, latching on Jasper’s arm. A loud crack echoed in their ears, but everyone had eyes on the psychic.

“Yes! Let’s go!” Alice blurred forward, taking Aro’s hand in hers. He greedily watched as they found the base. He nodded, letting go of her hand, and looked at Alistair who huffed, and then they were disappearing into the shadows, running with all they have.

They came to a stop not too long, but at the same time an eternity later. The last they had seen of Blake before disappearing with Casimir had been Blake freeing her hand. There was no telling what had happened since then.

Marcus was glaring at everyone he saw and sensed in the area. It was a large, abandoned building of some sort in the middle of nothing but acres of trees, surrounded by armed guards. He was shaking with the effort not to kill everyone at that moment.

He turned to look at Aro who had his brows furrowed, surveying the area. He took a breath and hissed, instantly knowing what had his brother on edge.

There were _multiple_ immortal scents in the area. Strong and recent, no doubt part of what was happening here.

“How many?”

“I don’t know,” Alice’s eyes were glazed over, her brow furrowed as she held on to Jasper, searching through possibilities of the future. “Maybe ten?”

“Newborns?” She hummed.

“I can’t tell.”

“Well—” Everyone went silent as rapid-fire gunshots were heard from deep inside the building. The human guards jumped, turning around and shouting into phones.

“My sight disappeared,” Marcus hissed, looking around at the bondless air. Not a single bond was visible to him. Aro snatched his hand up and sighed upon realizing he meant all of it instead of just Blake’s.

But that was still troubling, seeing as that made this shield a lot stronger than they had believed.

Aro stood, glare set on the building as he started forward, so Marcus took off as well.

He cut through a whole quadrant of humans, their blood sliding off him as he stalked towards the building, glaring at those who fired at him, and making swift work in ripping them to shreds and then throwing a set of doors of the handles.

“Find Blake. If you encounter any of the vampires, immobilize them, but I wish to have their memories,” Aro hissed and the guards nodded, along with Alice and Jasper and they all zipped into the building.

They had split up upon entering, and now, they were all meeting up at a large set of double doors where only sounds of pain and grunts could be heard. The three of them were covered in blood, the others clean, a testament to how infuriated the three of them were.

They opened the doors, immediately spotting one of the marines’ lifeless bodies, face down, meters from the door. Moving in, holding their breath—holding on to hope—they surveyed it. Blood arched in sharp angles throughout the room.

Lifeless eyes stared up at them as they approached the few remaining heartbeats.

Praying to any gods or deities to listen, Aro and his brothers took it one step at a time.

The guard wisely hung back in the hall, hoping for the best but expecting the worse and ready to bolt when their Masters’ tempers broke.

Aro took a tentative step into the side room where he could hear three individual, weak heartbeats. He swallowed down a mouthful of venom and stepped over a dead marine, eyes on the high stack of boxes that prevented him from seeing the owners of the heartbeats.

He realized with a startling amount of realization, that he was _shaking._ He swallowed down more venom and sighed deeply.

“Blake?”

A pale, blood-splattered hand twitched and he turned the corner, and immediately dropped to his knees.

His brothers were by his side in an instant, eyes dark and bruised looking.

They all let out a collective sigh, seeing Blake still breathing. They were enraged at the wounds covering her body, but she was alive, sandwiched between a heavily injured man and woman.

“Blake, sweetheart,” Aro whimpered, touching her hand. Her eyes rolled under their lids before she shakily opened them. They all sighed and purred at the way her dull eyes lit up upon seeing them.

“What business does the Volturi have here?” they all turned their heads, keeping their eyes on Blake as they listened to an unfamiliar voice in the halls.

Then, something crashed into Caius, sending all three of them to the ground, Blake whimpering at the movement.

They surged up and stopped upon seeing a vampire holding Blake against his front, hand wrapped firmly around her throat. She was looking at them with confused eyes, fighting to stay awake, seemingly unaware of the fact that she was being dangled by her throat.

“This human means something to you?”

Seven vampires filtered into the small room, even as the hall broke out into a vicious fight between immortals.

Aro recognized one of them from Amun’s memories. A vampire sired centuries ago by the Romanian Vladimir.

The vampire, Easton, smiled tauntingly as he stepped up next to the vampire holding Blake’s very crushable neck in his hand. “Never thought a human would be my ticket at getting at you. You want her? Kneel.” They growled lowly but obeyed, constantly shifting their eyes from Easton to Blake.

“Ha! The great Volturi on their knees—”

Electricity crackled in the room before the vampires all jolted, Blake being released, and Caius dove to catch her as his brothers moved forward with Martin’s gift giving them the option. But it was gone now, and his brothers fought viciously as Caius held his mate, listening to her weak heart, growling when anyone was getting too close and one of his brothers would take care of it.

He put his hand over a hole on her side that was steadily leaking blood and pushed. He wasn’t sure how much pressure to exert and feared that he’d injure her worse.

She flickered her eyelids open, not even flinching at the screeching of tearing immortal flesh as she gazed up at Caius’ eyes.

“Heaven’s real?” She whispered.

“You’re not in heaven, _mio cara._ Not even close,” Caius gasped, eyes filling with venom as he looked at his mate who was obviously in so much pain. She wasn’t in danger of immediately dying, he and his brothers had wished to share their venom to turn her, so he would wait.

He smoothed down her knotted, sweat and blood coated hair down, giving her a shaky smile as he purred for her benefit, trying to get her to relax. She furrowed her brows, even more than the previous moment of pain.

“You found me, then?” he nodded, giving a verbal affirmation, cupping her head gently as it laid in his lap. “I—I need. I need to tell you…something,” She murmured, head already drooping again.

“You can tell me later—”

“No, I need to let you know that—” She cut off, a cough racking her body as she spit out blood. She gasped, leaning back into him, slamming her eyes shut. Finally, all the metallic screeching came to an end, and Marcus and Aro were on either side of him, cradling her hands.

“of course, Blake,” Aro said, even through her next round of coughs.

“Demetri, these two are to be taken to Anatoly to see if he can help.” Demetri responded affirmatively.

“Blake, we’re going to take you home, now. Okay?” She bared her bloody teeth in what was probably supposed to be a smile as she grunted.

“Aro…” Caius trailed off and Aro immediately scooped Blake into his arms, one hand placed firmly on her side. Caius was terrified he’d hurt her more at the moment and was glad his brother knew him as well as he did.

They ran towards Volterra, all glancing anxiously towards her unconscious form as Blake’s heart started slowing. If push came to shove, they would bite her here, but they craved for her final moments of human life to be pleasant, as it should have been.

An hour later, and a mate with a very slowly beating heart, the three Masters barged into the castle, sweeping immediately up to their wing and into Aro’s bedroom. He placed her gently on the middle of the bed. He carefully lifted her head and swept her hair behind her as he gently lowered her head down, neck exposed.

“Blake, darling, can you hear me?” Marcus said as he crawled on the bed next to her. Caius crawled to sit behind her, fingers gingerly sweeping circles on the back of her neck. She blinked a few times before opening her eyes blearily, a sharp shriek leaving her throat. All three of them winced and leaned close to her, purring.

She sobbed, her whole body shaking. Her hand shot out blindly before Aro took it. 

“I know, my dear. It’ll be alright soon.”

“It will hurt more for a short while, then you shall awake pain-free, my darling.”

“We shall never leave your side, _Mio Cara._ We have you, and we shall never part again.” Aro nodded at the two of them. Caius lowered himself, angling his head as he placed a soft kiss against her jugular.

Aro did likewise on the other side of her neck as Marcus kissed right above her heart.

Caius’s jaw locked.

He looked up to see Aro also hesitating. To bring their mate so much pain.

But this would save her. With a deep breath, the three of them broke her skin, sending as much venom as they possibly could into the wounds.

Caius released her first, hands flat on the bed as to not break her as he tasted her blood. He shook as he plastered venom to the wound to seal it and sat back, shakily going back to stroking her hair watching as Marcus released, sealing the wound, and then Aro who did so with a reverence that neither Marcus nor Caius could have possibly done.

Blake tasted divine, and it was a struggle for them not to drink from her.

They went silent, watching as Blake’s body jerked, broken back arching into the air as she gripped onto Aro’s and Marcus’ hands.

She fell back to the bed, eyes screwed shut as she panted, teeth grinding together. But she did not scream.

Caius stroked her hair, staring blankly down at her pain-ridden face.

Three days of this, and then she would never have to be in pain again. He made a silent promise that she would never know the experience of pain again. Looking at his brothers, he saw they were equally distressed and deep in thought. He returned his attention to Blake and continued gently rubbing patterns on her temples.

Listening to her whimpers and seeing her in obvious discomfort was not something he could have possibly prepared himself for.

He would gladly take the pain of eternal torment if it meant he never had to witness her in so much pain.


	59. Chapter 59

Hours after having bitten Blake, Aro and his brothers cleaned her off, changing her into the softest clothes of hers that was in his closet before they returned her to the middle of the bed, them back in their own spot near her.

It only lasted so long before they wished to be closer to her, so they arranged her how she usually slept, on top of Caius and the other two curled against her sides.

Aro’s hand was on her own the entire time, flinching when she did, experiencing both her transformation with her, and the agony of his mate being in extreme pain. But he would not let go. Not now.

As he simultaneously watched her, sifted through her one-track thoughts, he also was thinking through what had transpired upon her rescue.

They had not taken all of the vampires involved. Some had evaded them.

The memories from the ones he had dismantled in his anger had… _gaps_ in their memories, as if somethings had shaved off any discerning information about the two leaders. He knew the words, but the voices had been distorted and their faces blurred from being seen.

He had never seen any gift as such and would take great pleasure in ridding the world of the one who dared hurt his mate.

Because a vampire had wanted Blake gone, and had gone through someone who was already hunting down Morley’s Marines and had delivered her location.

Hours turned into a day, and he continued curling around her, even as her thoughts became more and more guarded, as if she was going into a vision.

Marcus laid there, head on her shoulder, arm gently around her midsection as he listened to her heart pump venom through her veins, felt her changing beneath his touch. When her spine healed, and expelled several bullets, he had growled, flinging them across the room, sending them through the wall.

As he felt her become stronger, the more relaxed he became, knowing that shortly he would never have to hold back with her ever again. In fact, it would be him that would be at risk of being injured by her strength.

He would gladly bare any cracks made by her, already proud of the strength she’d possess. He knew his brother was bothered by something he had seen while saving her, besides the state she was in, but none of them had spoken except for when they had rid her of the grime and to change her.

It would probably prove useless, she no doubt would tear the clothes and have a messy first meal, but it did make them feel better that they may have added to her comfort.

Caius was going mad. He ignored his burning throat as he purred against Blake, feeling and scenting his venom course through her veins. And his brothers’ but he was rather focused on the fact that his was pumping through her.

He could not recall a time he was so impatient before in his long immortal life, than he was waiting for his mate’s transformation to complete and to watch her open her eyes. Even with venom coursing through her, he would not be at ease until he was _sure_ she was safe and immortal: thus, waiting for the moment her heart stopped and she opened her red eyes.

Being under her, he could feel as the venom sealed her wounds, her skin hardened, as her bones snapped back into place.

He had not been this close to a transition in a very long time, and the sound of it changing made him wince in sympathy for her, so he pressed featherlight kisses against her sweaty neck.

As the hours turned into a day, and then the days went by, Aro was growing more restless himself. His mate’s thoughts had sealed against him halfway into the second day, and he had immediately latched onto Marcus to watch the bond between them strengthen as Blake became an immortal. He could not just lay there without a guarantee that she was still _there._

Not after coming so close to losing her.

But then two days turned to three.

And three turned to four.

And four to five.

And the three ancients were, frankly, _losing their shit._

Her heart was barely beating at this point, oblivious to the three as they fretted over her, whispering to her to come back to them.

Because while it was rare, sometimes the transition would fail, and they would never awake. And they could not handle it if Blake did not wake.

“Please, Blake, darling, we are right here waiting for you.” Her heart stuttered but otherwise continued to beat slowly, struggling to do its job through the venom.

“ _Mate,”_ Caius hissed into her shoulder, purring hard as he tightened his hold on her. “You are not permitted to die, _mio cara._ We have forbade it. _Wake up!”_

Marcus was sitting next to her side, hand holding hers to his face as he nuzzled it, still too warm to be correct yet. He had his eyes opened, watching as the bond from Blake to him and his brothers faded and brightened in time with her beating heart.

Her end was straining, sometimes wrapping around them, sometimes ducking out of the way. Marcus had only ever seen this between two humans, when one of them was fighting to hold on to life to get to the other in the feeding room. While the other was dying.

He refused to let Aro touch his skin, hoping, _wishing,_ waiting for Blake to wake up. He refused to believe that after all this time, they would be thwarted by Blake being resistant to immortality.

Blake was their mate, the ancient kings, if this was how she was to end, Fate was cruel indeed.

“Master—” The three turned, growls erupting fiercely as Jane knocked on the door.

“Leave!” Caius growled, eyes pitch black.

“Master.” It was Anatoly now. “You know the odds—” Marcus surged from the bed, opening the door, and slammed Anatoly to the ground by his neck. The vampire and the floor alike cracking.

“Get out of my sight before I decide you have outlasted your usefulness.” He turned his glare to Jane and bared his teeth.

“Master, we are only here to remind you of the chances. It’s been days too long—” he seized her by the throat, watching as her bond to Aro weaken on his end, no doubt Aro was furious with what she was insinuating.

He yanked her to his eye level, her letting out a hiss of pain. “You are testing me, young Jane.” He tossed her down the hall, watching her slide a good few meters before she caught herself, bowing low. “Go, before I rip you to shreds.” With that, he shut the door with a little too much force than it can handle, for it snapped, a crack appearing across it, but he paid it no mind as he stalked back over to the bed, and gently slipped back onto it, gathering Blake’s hand once again.

At contact, the bond flared strong for a split second before fading back to the dull light it had been for the past couple of days. He sighed deeply, face pulled into a frown as he caressed her arm.

“Please, my darling, we are all here waiting for you. Your brother is downstairs as well, he’d love to see you again.” He watched the sibling bond between her and Jasper shot out, testing the air tentatively before finding Jasper’s and _tugging._

…he’s never seen a bond ever do anything like _that._

“Yes, that is Jasper, very good darling.” The bonds shook and it released, and he winced, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead, her human and new scent mixing together in a dizzying mixture.

For she wasn’t quite immortal yet, the scent was still… _her._

He slumped, watching her golden bond between the four of them become duller and duller until it resembled more of a mustard color than anything else.

His chest was aching, already knowing what his mind was refusing to think of.

That was until, her heart stopped.

At once, all three of them were up, looking at her closely.

Aro was running his eyes over her, waiting for the moment her eyes would flick open and reveal the most beautiful shade of red, a color he knew looked good on her from when she was on that mission. That, and he had yet to see an immortal whose eyes did not suit them.

But then, Marcus dropped to his knees, an anguished wail leaving him at the same moment both Caius and Aro dropped, a fierce and agonizing pain and emptiness ripped through all three of their beings.

Marcus looked at his broken bond, feeling like he was going to spontaneously turn to dust. It would surely be less painful.

He picked himself up, stumbling to the bed, ignoring the huge gaping hole that surely must be in his chest as he ran a hand over Blake’s jaw.

There was no bond reaching out to meet him.

“No, my darling, this is not how you are to end. We have yet to teach you the way of our world. You have yet to see the wonders that are available to you, my precious Blake,” his voice cracked. “Please, please. …please…” He was begging for some recognition, for the bond to light back up, to do anything, but all he saw was his bond to his brothers pulling at each other, searching for comfort.

He did not flinch when Caius snarled, throwing a desk across the room, proceeding to tear the place apart. He felt Aro come to drop to his knees by his feet and dropped one hand letting Aro push his head against it.

“My Blake, my little Swan, please. I _cannot-_ Blake, we cannot continue on without you. Please come back to us.” Caius snarled again, loud, and let out a scream full of agony and grief that had Marcus and Aro turning to him where he was bent over, eyes filled with venom, a look of pure disbelief on his face.

They watched as he swallowed, shook his head, and tucked his long hair behind his ears. He stalked over to the bed, cupping Blake’s jaw. He swallowed once more, fumbling for words.

“Blake, I never wanted a mate. Always thought it would make me weak, and look at me now, cannot even _speak._ But I was wrong. My beliefs have changed because of _you._ Not of the bond. I dreaded meeting with you that first time, I even _attacked_ you.

“But Blake, over the days, the weeks, I grew to change my view. I had never felt something so strong for someone. Never met a human who I resonated with so much. The Fates blessed me with you, and I rebuke the idea that they shall snatch you away so quickly.

“They are not kind, nor fair to something as vile as me, but I have been a willing and victorious warrior for thousands of years and I shall battle Death itself to release you from its dreadful clutches. You are not allowed to pass on, it may be selfish of me, but I have never claimed to be anything but.

“I am a selfish being, Blake, and I want you to be here for immortality, and I shall fall by the hands of the gods themselves before I let them take you from me. I know not if I believe in them, but I would battle them until I am ash for you. Come _back!”_ Caius hissed, pressing his forehead to hers.

Soon, all of them were arguing and hissing and growling as Anatoly and Demetri showed up back at the door. They did not cross the doorframe, smart of them, and the three of them would not let go of Blake to move off the bed to attack them.

“Masters, please—”

“We shall not abandon her!”

“Masters, she’s _gone.”_

 _“_ NO!” It was loud, and anguished, and utterly heartbreaking as their screams echoed throughout the castle. All the mated pairs holding onto each other with grips that would never break, gazing at each other sadly.

Jane and Alec were sharing confused glances, never before witnessing their Masters lose their tempers and wanting to comfort Aro as his wail rang out through the building.

Alice was clutching Jasper to her tightly, both of them sobbing in the reception hall, Felix watching with a detached sort of interest, thinking on what was to happen now? Their Masters’ mate is no longer with them, failed to transition successfully, what was to become of them?

Master Marcus was barely functioning just from Mistress Didyme dying, what was going to happen now that their true mate is dead? He looked to Heidi who was surely looking for Demetri and he opened his arms for her. She sobbed as she fell into his arms.

“They do not deserve this, Felix. I do not think they’re strong enough to carry on.” He hummed, holding her close.

Martin was hunched over, glaring at his hands, the rest of his fellow guards that had assisted with finding Blake scattered across the room. He blinked venom out of his eyes and set his jaw…was there no hope for Blake?

Was she truly gone? Just like that?

He glanced around the room. The ones who had just met Blake were looking at the rest of them who looked quite pitiful compared to their usual selves.

Lysandra clapped her hands together, everyone instantly paying attention to her.

“Master Caius will surely be giving us orders soon, you need to be on gu—”

“He just lost his _mate._ Surely you can hear his agony. It would be the same if you lost yours.” Lysandra gripped Hollis possessively, hissing at Martin. “My point exactly.” He shook his head, standing and glaring at her. “Without her, I doubt we shall ever receive another order from him.”

“Master is more than us. He’s—”

“He’s what?” everyone snapped their heads to Aleksei who slowly raised his eyes to stare directly into Lysandra’s, everyone looking on with wide eyes. “A god? Even gods need their mates. They’ve known each other for a year, that bond is more than set. Without his mate, he is _nothing._ If you had been here, you would know that as well.” With that, Aleksei stormed out of the room, leaving the rest in shocked silence.

Aleksei hesitated outside the quarters before walking through them and standing between Anatoly and Demetri.

“ _Get. Out!”_ Aleksei peered in. They looked awful. Their eyes were set in deep dark purple circles, eyes pitched black and crazed. Overall looking far more feral than any newborn he has encountered.

“Master Caius—” He ducked as an object was thrown directly at his head.

“You insufferable degenerates, _ou_ t we said,” Marcus growled, standing, looking every bit as imposing as the rumors of the Volturi had painted him out to be.

But then he faltered, regaining some of his sense, as he slowly turned. Aleksei watched with bated breath.

Marcus was intent on tearing them apart, to burn them, when a light caught his attention and he slowly turned to watch the bonds once again.

At once, a blaring shock of gold so bright it forced him to close his eyes, one hand going to cover them.

“Marcus?” He opened his eyes, looking to Blake where three strands of bright gold reached out and boldly reached for theirs, the bonds sealing together almost perfectly.

He held his breath, taking a small tentative step.

“Blake?” Aro and Caius both spun to look at her.

A moment.

Then two.

An hour passed with nothing transpiring, no thoughts in their heads.

And then, eyelids flew open revealing fresh blood-red eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up very soon!


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved reading everyone's reactions to the last chapter. As promised, here's the next one! Enjoy and everyone stay safe!

She was drowning.

Wasn’t she?

It was falling and falling and dark and _nothing._ Was this death?

After an eternity, the nothingness faded to black which faded to dullness. Finally, imagery appeared, ground beneath her feet.

She had hands. She had forgotten that.

She raised them, inspecting a part of her she had completely forgotten…what else had she forgotten?

She snapped her head up to the scene now in front of her, dropping her hands to go forward and inspect. She was in a large clearing, the air stinking of death and decay, corpses littering the ground, but she only had eyes on one of them.

It was as if she was being drawn to it.

She stopped next to him, lowering herself to the ground, reaching out to sweep matted and bloody blond hair out of the face, taking notice of a fading crescent shape mark on his neck.

He was older than her, how she knew was of no consequence, seeing as she knew nothing of herself, including her own age. But she just _knew._ He was handsome, even covered in blood and mud, and his brow was furrowed as he whimpered, his skin changing as she watched.

Harder. Paler. Stronger.

His eyes snapped open, revealing furious red eyes, and he sat up, snarling. Only one thought entered her mind: _MINE._

The view and the man faded out, her being thrown back into nothingness in a flash. She turned, thrashed, the burning coldness searing back into her for another restless eternity before she was thrown back onto stable feet, this time on a shore in the middle of the night.

Bright stars and moon brightened the shore, revealing a man laying on the shore. She approached, kneeling beside him. He was very pale, eyelids twitching. He was damp, as if just coming out of the water.

She watched as this man sat up, long black hair flowing into his face. He flushed the hair back, a creepy smirk crawling onto his face, blood-red eyes alight with elation.

Just the same, one word sprang to her mind: _MINE!_

The next time she emerged from the darkness, she was in a shack, already seated next to a young man, younger than her, with wavy dark hair against pale skin. Someone was outside the building, but all of her attention was on him.

He opened his red eyes with a gasp, seemingly locking eyes with her as he hissed something in another language, before he was up, tearing furniture apart. She felt her lips curl up.

_MINE!_

She watched as he destroyed the room, before snapping eyes to the door right before she was engulfed by the darkness again.

Something was very wrong. It prickled across her skin, making her tense. Something was wrong. Something, something, something.

But _What?_

She felt something near her, reaching out towards her.

Danger!

It was a threat to her!

All at once, she could feel her limbs, and she snapped her eyes open. She felt a hand coming for her, so she snapped up, grabbing it and throwing the person across the room, a vicious snarl erupting from her throat, as she crouched, glaring in the direction he went when she felt two presences coming forth.

She spun, leaping up, teeth snapping at a neck. She was tackled from two directions before she could bite. She screeched, a shrilling sound that left her as she turned and kicked, both forms going flying. She hopped to her feet, turning to the left where two pairs of red eyes were wide on her in a doorway.

She narrowed her eyes and sped towards them. One tried to grab her, but she was faster, ducking under him and slamming him by the throat to the ground. She hissed in victory as his head popped off and she spun to the next one, quickly grabbing that one and tearing him apart too.

She turned and fled from the other three who were quick to follow her. She searched quickly, following an instinct to turn in certain places. The men were shouting something, a name, perhaps, but she paid it no mind.

They were a _threat,_ stronger, older, and she had to _run._

She turned a hall and tore apart two other threats, barely even slowing before she took off again.

She turned again and was frozen, not able to move at all. She flicked her eyes around, nervous, as a warning growl rumbled deep in her throat as she felt the three approach her from behind.

They came to a stop and muttered some words.

“Blake, darling, you need to calm down. We promised you we wouldn’t leave your side.” Was he talking to her? Someone stepped in front of her, meeting his dark eyes, he looked between hers as she studied him.

He had black hair that brushed over his shoulders, skin that had a weird texture to it, her eyes drinking in every crevice, every minute dent in his marble skin. He had a crest around his neck that she couldn’t see well with him so close and her unable to move. But this. This was the man from the shore.

He looked slightly different, but it was surely Aro.

Wait…Aro?

Was that his name?

She calmed, narrowing her eyes, thinking back. How did she know his name? And with that: what was hers?

She had one, right?

She calmed, and then everything came back, flashing through her mind at lightning-fast speed, and she caught all of it.

She gasped, eyes opening to meet his. Aro. Her mate.

“Aro,” she breathed and blinked hard. Her voice was different. Very different. It seems to float across the air at a feather sort of rate which makes no sense but is how it is. Just…softer, lighter. More regal.

Powerful.

She cut her eyes, searching for Octavian.

“Octavian, I’m okay. Please let me go.” In the next half a second she was free, and she threw herself forward, throwing her arms around Aro’s neck and slamming her lips against his, paying no mind as they landed against the wall. Until he hissed and she instinctually hissed back, tightening her grip around his throat, pulling back. Only to widen her eyes in horror and throw herself back, her back hitting the opposite wall as she surveyed the cracks running across Aro’s skin.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Did I do that?” She now realized it had been a hiss of pain, not a threat.

“You did, _mio cara.”_ She snapped her head to the side, taking in Caius as he knelt beside her. He looked like hell but was so beautiful at the same time it really was unfair. His eyes were surrounded by deep purple rings, like Aro’s but he was gazing at her like she was the whole world.

She knew she was looking at him the same.

“You are stronger than us for the time being, it will take time for you to gather hold of it. We expected it.” She shook her head as he came closer to her, leaning back even as everything in her wanted to lean into her mate’s arms.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” She whispered.

“We can endure it.” That was all it took for her to leap into his arms, sending them both to the ground and she kissed him hard, relishing the way he pushed against her, hands gripping her waist roughly as he purred.

A strange feeling rumbled from her chest and she pulled back, hand flying up to her chest as it stopped. She furrowed her brows, which only deepened when Caius laughed.

“I don’t possibly see what is funny here.” He continued laughing until he closed his eyes, leaning back to the ground as he did so. She wanted to snap at him, but she had never seen him laugh like that.

“You were purring, my love.” She snapped her eyes back to Aro who had completely healed. In a flash, she was in front of him, hesitating before gently reaching up to run her fingers against his throat. Satisfied he was healed, she nodded, leaning to kiss him again.

Then she pulled away from him, looking for Marcus. She didn’t have to look far, he was right there, and she froze, ogling him. Her human memories were really horrendous at portraying the beauty of her mates.

Even if he looked like he was half-starved, he possessed a beauty that none other could hope to encompass. They all did.

Apparently done letting her ogle him, he held out a hand for her to take. She did so and he pulled her flush against him, sealing their lips in a searing kiss. But something was off. She wracked her brain and more fuzzy memories and knowledge flooded her mind.

“You’re not cold,” She murmured against him and she felt his lips turn up before he lightly nipped her lip.

“Indeed. We are the same temperature now.” She turned back to the other two, who were both standing behind her, and reached out, pulling them both so that she stood in the arms of all of her mates.

She wasn’t sure exactly what had landed her to being turned, but knew it was something big. She touched Aro’s cheek, intending for him to pick up on it. When he gasped and looked at her with wide eyes, she hastily pulled it away, unintentionally elbowing Marcus which caused him to go sprawling.

She spun around, kneeling next to him, apologizing profusely. He waved her off, though he did wince. She turned to glare at Caius when he chuckled. He stopped but didn’t completely rid his face of the small smirk.

“I did not mean startle you, it’s just your thoughts closed off to me during your transition, yet you just showed me what has happened since you woke.” She tilted her head at Aro and opened her mouth, only to snap it shut when no sound came out. She tried it again, getting the same result.

Before she could panic, Marcus wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Take a breath, darling. While we do not require air, we do need it to speak.” That was correct. She was not breathing. So, she did so, and deduced immediately that she hated feeling air go down her throat and fill her lings.

“That is an awful feeling.”

“You will become accustomed to it,” Caius said, kneeling in front of her, gently cupping her face. She hummed, closing her eyes as she nuzzled against his hand before throwing her eyes back open to actually look around.

Everything was so sharp and in focus, including incredibly small particles of dust in the air. And the _colors,_ she fucking thought it was beautiful before? There was no way to describe how much better this was and—wait.

“Is that a new color?”

“We can see more than humans, yes,” Aro answered, a hint of laughter in his tone which she turned and stuck her tongue out at him. She immediately stuck her fingers to her lips and felt her teeth. Felt smooth and were definitely covered in venom which she just instinctually knew would cause anything she bit pain.

She turned to see Aro smiling at her and she hastily removed her fingers from her mouth, apologizing.

“Blake, nothing would make me happier at this moment than to observe how you take to immortality in your first minutes of immortality.” She beamed up at him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He easily caught her, and she could feel so much more than before. Every curve of his body pressed against hers.

“So, what happened to get me turned before us talking about it?” Aro’s face immediately darkened as his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled into a snarl that made her bare her teeth in response and he sighed, flexing his hands on her hips, relaxing, causing Blake to relax and close her mouth.

“The moments leading up to your transformation are usually the blurriest. Think about it, you shall come back to you. Best to do it now before much time passes by.”

“How long has it been?”

“You’ve been awake for maybe four minutes.”

“That’s all?” She exclaimed.

“You’re faster now, Blake. If we were to speak at this speed to you while you were human, you would not have understood any of it.” Blake frowned.

“I don’t feel like I’m talking fast.”

“I’m sure you also didn’t realize we’ve been moving fast as well?” She nodded. “Imitating slower speeds takes practice that comes with time and experience.”

“I feel like my sister did it?” She looked at for confirmation that that did indeed happen. He nodded.

“Your sister was a rare case of seamlessly imitating humans and control. I don’t expect it shall happen to you but you’ve always surprised me so we shall see. Now, think. You’re getting distracted. No, don’t pout,” he chastised, kissing the tip of her nose which made her smile. “It’s normal, your thoughts race faster, you have more room to think about multiple topics, you have more time to think longer. All newborns and most young immortals do so until they learn to focus on a task.”

She slowly nodded then slipped her eyes closed, trying to think back to what happened right before getting turned. She’d certainly liked to remember being bitten, recalling the sensual way Aro had cleaned her fists of blood.

Then, it came back in blurry flashes, the compound, everyone dying, the pain and fear, the joy of seeing Caius again and then _dying._

The pain of the transformation.

She snapped her eyes open. The three of them were anxiously looking at her.

“Are they dead?”

“…most of them?”

“What?” She narrowed her eyes.

“All the humans are dead. There were immortals involved that we have in the dungeons.” She widened her eyes. “We intend to punish them for a very, very, long time, _mio cara.”_ She nodded once, thinking over her hazy memories. She doesn’t _think_ she remembered seeing any vampires.

“Darling, come, we shall address your thirst.” Immediately, she was brought to attention of the burning in her throat, her hand flying up to grip it as she gazed wide-eyed at her mates.

“With the guard?” Caius scoffed and she narrowed her eyes, snatching out to grip him by his shoulder, shirt, and cloak shredding under her hand. He raised a brow.

“Of course not. Most certainly not for your first feeding. Most likely not for a long while. Come.”

“You destroyed Aro’s room, Caius,” Marcus said as he stood.

“We can go to mine, then?” Blake offered, glancing anxiously at the three of them, hand grasping her neck tightly. Now that her attention was on it, the burn only seemed to increase with each passing moment. Air did nothing but irritate her.

Marcus grabbed her hand and tugged her. She turned to him, smirking before taking off running down the halls, him right beside her. She laughed, sliding around a corner before slamming through the door. She winced looking at the shattered remains of the door.

Marcus merely laughed, picking her up and spinning her around. She shrieked, the sound smooth when compared to before, and then laughed, cupping his jaw and kissing him sweetly. He, however, met her fiercely which she had absolutely zero qualms about. She turned when she heard the soft footfalls of her mates come into the room, both looking at the splintered door with raised eyebrows.

“Sorry,” She murmured and Aro shook his head, a brilliant smile on his face.

“Doors are easily replaceable. You, however, are not.” At the way his and Caius’ eyes darkened and the tightening of Marcus’ arms, it wasn’t hard to deduce just how close to death she was when they found her.

“Hey, so I almost died. You guys found me and here I am.” Aro smiled, but she could easily tell it was forced. She went to question him, but he shook his head.

“Later. For now, we shall deal with your thirst. Your first feeding is going to be messy, do not fret about it. We will be in here but on the opposite side of the room. Your instincts will not appreciate us being so close to your meal. Tell me now if you have qualms about your diet.”

She blinked once, tilting her head as she thought about it.

“Are they already picked out?”

“Yes, we have several set aside.”

“Then they’re going to die anyway.” He nodded once. She looked to the ground. “I guess that’s fine. I don’t want to be weak. Not when I’m part of this coven.”

“You need not worry about being weak—”

“I was taken from the city,” she deadpanned, taking a step out of Marcus’ arms. “I don’t want to ever be vulnerable again.” Then she blinked hard, eyes wide as she smiled. They all looked positively confused to her suddenness of elation.

“I just ran!” She yelled. Aro let out a joyful chuckle and she squealed, jumping in place a couple of times, looking down at her leg. “I can jump!” She looked up and saw Aro and surged forward, smashing her lips to his, and hand shooting out to catch herself on the ground, other hand preventing his head from hitting the ground.

She sat back, straddling his waist.

“Holy fuck! It doesn’t hurt at all.”

They all crowded around her, purring, letting her have her moments of happiness. Up until the inevitable moment it was drawn to something else.

She pulled back to look at Aro softly.

“Why does it feel like I’m racing around between a million different things?”

“It’s harder for newborns to focus. One reason why they’re so volatile.”

“So…what I’m hearing is that I’m a near-indestructible force with extreme ADHD?”

“As if you did not already have it,” Caius snarked.

“Hey!”

“Caius,” Marcus warned but when Blake looked at him, he was smirking. “Do not goad her, she can break you.” His amused tone, however, contradicted that advice and said that he’d really like to see Blake break Caius a little bit.

She looked up and winced, hand going back to her neck.

“Feeding first, adventuring your newfound immortal status after.” She nodded against Aro’s chest as she leaned against him.

However, when Marcus stood and took a step, her chest seized with worry and rage, and then she was standing, having pinned Marcus to the wall. It took her a moment to realize the ferocious growling was coming from her.

Marcus simply stared down at her.

“Darling, I must speak with Demetri.” But then he’d be out of her sight. And that _can’t happen!_

She blinked hard. That was…possessive. She looked down, removing her hands from Marcus and awkwardly holding them in the air. He grabbed her by her upper arms. She snapped her eyes to his and instantly relaxed a bit.

“Your vampire instincts are going to have you take an adjustment period. It is perfectly normal for you to not to want us to leave. However, to ease your thirst, I must go inform Demetri. I will be gone but a few seconds.” She slowly nodded giving him a small, apologetic smile. He kissed her gently before going out of the door.

She turned to the other two, latching onto them as the ache in her chest blossomed and she fought against everything in her to drag them with her and after Marcus.

Those ‘few seconds’ felt much too long before Marcus was stepping back through the door. She latched onto him and hissed. He stared down at her and bared his teeth and gave a playful nip at her. She chuckled.

She stopped when she felt Demetri coming, along with Felix and an unknown person.

Must be the food.

…The _human._

She shook her head slightly, frowning, suddenly unsure if she could actually do this. What if she tried, and failed? What would they think of her then? Deep down, she probably knew that was unreasonable, but it was where her mind was going.

What if she couldn’t tolerate actually being a part of it? Feeding on humans. It felt different now that she actually had the choice in front of her, but she could feel reservations creeping up on her.

She jumped and turned, teeth first at a hand touching her shoulder. Aro caught her by the shoulders and she calmed and opened her mouth to apologize when he put his finger over her lips.

“My little Swan, you mustn’t apologize for your actions and reactions. Okay?” She nodded after a second and took another—still awful—breath and instantly went rigid, barely even feeling Aro’s and Marcus’ hands on her.

A heavenly scent had filled her senses and she wanted it. _Now._

“-ke. Blake.” She snapped her eyes to Aro and found that all three of them had grips on her, and she was growling quite loudly. She swallowed it down with great effort but could not relax in their grip.

The scent had overtaken her, and she wanted it. But Aro’s eyes. She focused on Aro’s eyes and stopped trying to fight, something else she hadn’t realized she was doing. She stilled but was still beyond tense.

Aro started talking but all she could hear was the rapid _ba-bump_ that was getting closer and closer.

“Blake.” She was shaken and she narrowed her eyes on Aro. “Try not to attack Demetri. The three of us shall be on the other side of the room. We won’t leave, but it would not be wise of us to be near you while you feed.” She latched onto his arms.

“Just across the room,” he whispered. “You’ll be able to feel us the _entire time._ Hear us, smell us.” She closed her eyes, focusing on them instead of the anxiety bubbling in her chest. She nodded shakily.

She opened her eyes, and he caressed her face, eyes intent on hers. “You will be _magnifico.”_ With that, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before joining his brothers behind her. She turned, watching them walk to the other wall, nowhere near the exit, and relaxed a bit.

Of course, all that relaxation went out the window as Demetri approached the door, throwing a woman in. She fell to her knees, sobbing as she trudged to her feet.

Blake locked up, eyes locked on the woman’s sweaty throat, the beads of sweat not making a bit of a difference in her mind as she watched blood pulse beneath the thin skin.

She noticed Demetri quickly made himself scarce, along with Felix as she stared down at the trembling woman. She made eye contact with Blake, but she did not pay it a bit of intention.

The flames in her throat seemed to have been doused in gasoline. Her mouth filled with an acidic fluid, which she assumed was her venom, as she could practically _taste_ her.

She held her breath and walked over to the woman who stumbled back. Blake grabbed her by the arm and yanked her. She heard a snap and then the woman was crying all over again. Blake turned to her mates who were all looking at her with varying levels of disbelief.

It took everything in her to not sink her teeth in the woman, but this was important to her.

She took a couple of steps, dragging the woman with her. She tossed the woman to the floor in front of them.

“I want to share.”

With the looks on their faces, how obvious it was that they were not expecting it, it was worth the fire in her throat to surprise them.


	61. Chapter 61

They looked at her and then shared glances before looking at the woman on the ground. Everything in her was begging, _screaming_ at her to tear into that thin vulnerable skin. But she was resolved to experience her first taste—no pun intended—of immortality with her mates.

After everything that they had done for her, with her human, this was nothing.

Except it burned.

“Blake…?”

“Show me. Teach me to be an immortal.” Their eyes all darkened considerably, and she watched their eyes trail over her form hungrily. Aro took a cautious step forward, hands held out, palms down.

She took one forward and nodded towards the human. He reached down and—

_Oh._

Her whole body lurched like it wanted to attack him, but she gritted her teeth and raised her chin. That’s what they were talking about.

Okay, so yeah, her instincts didn’t particularly like this, but she did.

Once she fought through the fog in her mind that was only screaming about the blood.

The blood that she could still hear but had stopped breathing in the moment she got close enough to smell.

Aro lifted the woman up, ignoring her cries, and lifted her long hair behind her neck. Blake hissed, stepping forward and grabbing his hand.

“I am moving aside her hair. It is not pleasant to pull it out of your throat, I can assure you.” While the woman seemed completely terrified at that, spouting out Italian nonsense, Blake nodded. She took care to be extra slow, not wanting to decapitate her and spill all of the nutrients in her all over the floor, she pulled the hair back and tied it into a knot.

Her eyes froze on her neck, and she reached over, swiping her thumb across the skin, a trail of red bubbling up in its wake. Blake clenched her teeth and reached out blindly. Marcus took her hand as he joined them, Caius on Aro’s other side. Blake forced herself to look up when Marcus squeezed her hand, considerably easier to do with her touching him.

“Are you sure?” She nodded once, out of air. She watched as he nodded, and let go of her hand to grab the woman’s arm. Caius grabbed the other arm as Aro was holding the woman up from under her arms.

At once, all three bit down, leaving the jugular for her. With all of them feeding on her prey, looking at her with dark black eyes that were rapidly becoming brighter, she surged forward, locking her jaw on the neck.

Immediately, she was overwhelmed with the hot liquid heaven that poured into her mouth, greedily sucking it down.

Her hand reached out, cupping Aro’s face as he was on the other side of the neck. He purred and she smiled against the neck, before her senses were overwhelmed with the heartbeat, the smell, the _taste_ of her prey.

She hissed when it ended, and pulled away, the mangled form, with a definite handprint hole on her side, fell to the ground. Blake looked down at her bloody hand, lifting her hand to lick it clean without thinking of it.

She was pulled into a kiss which she eagerly responded to, pushing against Caius. He grunted and she pulled away. He chased her, slamming her against a wall that crumbled a little. She laughed, wrapping her hand in his hair and pulling him close, legs wrapping around his waist. She took a breath and winced, pulling away from him and holding her throat.

Caius’s eyes followed it and he nodded.

“Demetri will bring more. You will need more than we do, especially now. It is imperative you drink your fill.” She nodded, eyes tracking the smudge of red across his lips. She hesitated for a second before leaning forward and licking it from his lips. His eyes closed and he let out a happy little purr.

“You’re like a cat.” He opened one eye to glare at her. She giggled.

She looked past him at where Aro and Marcus were watching with poorly hidden pain. She frowned.

“Okay, what happened? Because all three of you keep looking at me like I’m a ghost.”

“…Blake, you died.”

“I can clearly tell that, thank you.”

“No, Blake. Your bond disappeared. You were _dead.”_ She focused on Marcus as Caius lowered her to the ground and wrapped his arm possessively around her shoulder while he lightly purred. “There are instances where venom fails to work, and that person just passes on.” She blinked slowly at Marcus.

“Blake, this was going into your sixth day of transformation. Your heart stopped and we _felt_ the bond break. It was before several hours before it reformed, stronger. Even more hours for you to open your eyes.” A chill shot down her spine, a rock seemingly formed in her throat.

They all got blurry before she was surrounded by all three of them, all holding onto her tightly. They flowed through several languages, but the gist of it was they were very glad that she woke up, and thanking her for waking up, and begging to never do that again.

She found herself trying to purr before the gentle sound started resonating in her chest as she held onto them, the cold feeling of how close she was to actually _dying_ on that concrete floor stuffed between Derrick and Bethany as she bled out. The cold seated fear she had felt then came flooding back to her and she gladly held onto her mates, and quickly let go when she heard them crack.

When she pulled away, Marcus cupped her face, looking her in the eye.

“I love you, my dearest Blake.” She sobbed, nodding, and blinked rapidly at the venom that was filling her eyes that would never fall.

“I love you too,” She cried. “I was so _scared.”_ She curled her hands against herself as he pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on top of her head. “I-I think there was a call, right? And you said you couldn’t find me, and I _knew_ there was no way out, but I tried. I put on the brave face because I’m a Marine, but I was so fucking terrified. I never want to feel that way again.”

“You will not,” Caius said as he pressed against her back, sliding his arms around her waist. “You are the apex predator now. We have many gifted around us who are loyal to us. Never again shall you know that fear or pain. I will turn to ash before I allow that.” She sobbed harder, letting herself feel the remnants of her last human moments, the emotions attacking her savagely and the four of them ended up in a little cuddle pile of purrs on the floor.

And that is how Demetri and Felix found them with three humans in tow.

Blake’s head immediately snapped up, venom fading from her eyes to lock onto the heartbeats. 

Felix shoved them in before the two vampires disappeared. Blake was up in a flash. She shoved Caius and the others towards the few couches. She locked her eyes on a woman that had long curly blonde hair. She pulled her over to Caius.

She shrieked under Blake’s grip which was probably way too tight for the human, but it did not matter.

She stood in front of Caius, staring at the woman. “Don’t you think she looks like Athenodora?” Caius made a noise of surprise. She slowly turned to look at Caius. “Hm?”

“I do not think so?” She sharpened her eyes.

“Caius-wrong answer,” Aro chuckled and immediately shut up when Blake turned to glare at him. She turned back to Caius. She shoved the woman towards Caius, and the woman fell to the floor, a scream ripping from her throat when her leg snapped sideways.

Blake pushed her forward, holding her breath, ignoring the overwhelming pain to _feed_ to look at Caius. She put her foot on the woman and looked to Aro. He said a greeting to get the woman’s attention. She sobbed while slowly looking up. He said something in rapid Italian and pointed to Caius, amusement freely swimming on his face. The woman shook with fear but shakily rose up to lean on Caius.

At once, fury erupted over Blake and she surged forward and sunk her teeth into her throat, ignoring the cries of human shock from behind her.

Blood flooded her mouth, and she drank greedily and when it ran empty, she growled, and the neck disappeared. She blinked, looking down at the decapitated form with curious eyes. She dropped her and looked at Caius who looked at her with dark eyes.

He smirked and sat forward pulling her into his lap.

“Your radiance of your first immortal moments knows no bounds.” He surged forward, capturing Blake’s lips in a fierce kiss. Blake moaned as he ground her down on his lap. He purred, biting her lip gently.

She took a deep breath, immediately freezing. He sighed, pressing his head against her shoulder. “Okay, my love, up we get, we still have to feed you.” He stood, wrapping her legs around his waist.

She huffed, turning to look at her other mates as they laughed.

“Come. Eat,” She breathed out the two words, taking care not to breathe even as her fingers were breaking Caius’ shoulder.

“Darling, go ahead.”

“Share.” She pouted, even as she gritted her teeth.

“Darling, we shared your first.” She glared, but the fire was so harsh in her throat. She heard one of the humans finally get some sense and tried to run.

That’s when something strange happened.

She saw the moment he turned, and started to run, while seeing herself and mates in the background at the same time her senses snapped and the next second she was standing in front of her prey, tilting her head sideways.

Her eyes latched onto where she could see his pulse in his throat. She couldn’t stop herself from tearing into him even if she still could think about stopping.

He dropped with a thud and she took a deep breath, the fire dimming a little but still plenty painful, and looked at the last one.

The one that her mates were presenting to her beautifully. They were all behind him, holding his head back and exposing his throat to her. She hesitated and Caius leaned forward to bite into the flesh. Red leaked out and immediately she was on the other side of the throat, snarling and tearing into the flesh.

When she stumbled back, she coughed, spitting out a string of flesh. Immediately she grimaced, looking up at her mates, a weird, detached feeling of guilt creeping up on her. Aro must have seen it because, in the next moment, he crossed the room and gently cradled her face.

“You did well, _piccola.”_

“But, I just- I just murdered—”

“No, no. My darling, my love, you just fed. You quenched the fire in your throat.”

“I _killed them_ —” human memories flashed before her, her oath of the military, the nausea of her first kill, her father instilling in her the right and wrongs.

She was shaken, eyes meeting Aro’s red ones.

“No! Blake, my love, you are not a murderer.”

“What do you call that then!” She hissed, pointing towards a corpse.

“Feeding. Doing what we require to survive. You are not a human anymore, Blake.” She blinked through blurry vision at him, grabbing his hands that were on her face, and shook her head.

“It gets easier.”

“It shouldn’t!” She yelled at Caius. “That’s the problem. It doesn’t feel _bad,_ but it should. I just killed _three_ people.”

In the next second, she was grabbed from behind. On instinct, she turned and snapped. She found herself on her back and she flipped over, shooting her hand out, and grabbed a leg. In the next second, she was straddling his chest, legs pinning his arms to the floor as her hands wrapped around his neck and pushed.

She gasped, snapping up to stand as she stared down at Caius’ coughing form. She watched with wide eyes as the cracks on his neck and chin knitted themselves back together.

“Caius,” She gasped. “I’m sorry—” Marcus grabbed a hold of her hands, turning her to him.

“You see that? _That_ was also instinct. Someone touched you when you were vulnerable, and you reacted. My darling, you are an immortal now. You are a _vampire._ You need blood to survive now. It is no different than before. Only now, your cattle wears a different form.” She shook her head slowly, lowering herself to the floor.

“What if I can’t?” Her mates shared looks over her head as they lowered themselves to fold around her. They purred, comforting her. The truth was, her immortal mind would not allow her to dwell on it for long at the moment, but it would come back. They’d be there to help combat that guilt every time. After all, they were never leaving her side again after losing her. Never again.

**…3 days prior. Forks, Washington, United States...**

Two in uniform soldiers walked up the damp path to the quaint little house. Stopping at the door, they nodded to each other and took a deep breath, one knocking on the door. Standing stock straight, they waited until the door opened.

The middle-aged man opened the door, a smile on his face as the sound of a child laughing echoed throughout the little alcove. His smile immediately fell, and he straightened his spine, looking at the two of them with narrowed eyes.

“Can I help you with something?” He asked, crossing his arms.

“Charles Geoffrey Swan?” He nodded once. “May we come in?”

“I’d rather you didn’t. My granddaughter is in the other room with my fiancée. What’s this about?” His eyes were guarded.

“Is there an area we can sit?” He took a step onto the porch and closed the door behind him.

“No, we can talk here. Now, what’s this about?”

“The Commandant of the Marine Corps has entrusted me to express his deep regret that your daughter, Blake was killed in Italy on February first. It seems an enemy combatant found her and ended her life. The Commandant extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family in your loss.”

Charlie shook his head, tears filling his eyes during the entire speech and he bit his lip. “No. No, you’re mistaken.”

“I am sorry, Mr. Swan.” Charlie shook, biting his knuckle and leaning on the door.

“No. Not my baby.” He sobbed, and the second Marine stepped forward to stabilize him as Charlie cried.


	62. Chapter 62

Blake was wallowing in her feelings for several minutes before she felt approaching presence, and she turned, putting her mates behind her as she bared her teeth.

A blond vampire entered her field of vision before the room faded from her sight, quickly replaced by a vast expanse of sparkling blue sea. She turned and saw the same blonde laying unconscious next to another vampire.

_Amun_

The name was supplied to her and she took it with stride, moving closer to the two of them. The blond, now she knew was Demetri. How could she have forgotten him? She shook her head, focusing on what she saw. _Demetri_ suddenly shot up, red eyes wide open and Amun caught him by the shoulders and calmly started speaking in another language. Blake watched as Demetri calmed, and then freaked out again, and then back to calm. Also looking very intrigued.

Her vision faded again and she saw him standing in the doorway. She turned to look at who was next to him.

Felix.

She was standing in a stadium, yells grating on her ears and she turned, eyes taking in the crowd before her eyes went to the two gladiators in the middle. One of them was Felix.

She watched the vicious fight, impressed, before Felix was stabbed in the gut, him letting out a pain garble, blood and spit flying from his mouth. She followed as he was dragged to a pit with other corpses in it.

She smiled when saw Aro appear under a cloak. He knelt at the edge of the pit, tracing Felix’s face with a hand. He murmured an Italian phrase which she loosely translated to meaning _Yes, you will do._

With that, Aro leaned down and tore into his throat and pulled a twitching Felix into his arms. He took off running.

The vision quickly passed time before showing Felix waking up in a dungeon and Aro being there to calmly explain what happened to him.

Blake looked to Aro as the vision faded. She touched his hand that had a tight grip on her arm.

“I’m not going to attack them, I know them.” She could feel protective instincts in her not allowing them to come into the room with her mates, which they seemed to know as they stayed outside the room. She thought back to her two quick visions.

She didn’t feel like she was in the visions for long. And she was pretty sure she’d never had two visions back to back like that. A gasp behind her had her spinning and looking over Aro.

“What?”

“You just showed me your visions. The two you just had. My little Swan, I have never seen how you See. It was _beautiful.”_ She smiled at him as he gazed at her like she was the only thing on the planet.

She pulled him forward and sealed their lips together, a little _mmphh_ leaving him before he quickly tangled up in her and pressing fiercely against her. She flipped them when he leaned with the intention of pressing her against the floor.

She pulled back, brushing her hair over one shoulder as she straddled him. He looked up with wide eyes, hands on her hips, and a wide smile on his face. She looked up through her lashes to glare at the two guards.

These men were _hers._

She felt herself tense up right before Marcus’ presence overwhelmed her when he pressed against her back. She dropped her head back, and groaned when Caius leaned against her side, chin on her shoulder.

Their presence was swirling around her, making it hard to _feel_ or _think_ of anything else. The way she had known their presence before was now minuscule compared to this moment. The cacophony that was the aura of her three kings was so blaringly hard on her that she had no idea how she had not noticed it before.

She gasped and Aro slid a hand over her collarbone. He shivered. “That is indeed overwhelming. Perhaps we should allow you some space—”

“No!” She hissed, pushing him down and he hit the floor with a wince. She turned to Caius who smirked raising one hand since the other was likely on Marcus with how they were positioned.

“I am not going anywhere, _mio cara._ ” When Marcus agreed as well, she slumped against them. She opened her eyes with a glare when she still felt the miniscule presence of the guard through the endless haze that was her partners. They both wisely took a step back.

“Was there something you needed?” She snapped after trying the second time, after forcing down another gulp of air. They glanced at each other.

“Nope! Nothing we need. We shall leave you alone, Masters.” With that, the two of them took off. Blake continued glaring until Aro’s chuckle broke her out of it.

She looked down about to ask, when what just happened caught up, and then she was laughing too. She flopped against him and he wrapped his arms around her. When her laughter faded, she stared at the ground, tracing the millions of details and dust she couldn’t before.

“…is it always going to be like this? Me forgetting how to act? Battling for control on what to do?”

“It will for a while, _mio cara._ You are still yourself. Only now, you have an immortal’s instincts: survival, hunter, fighter, and your instincts surrounding us, your mates.”

“…I didn’t know who you were. I saw you and _attacked_ you. Will that happen again?” Hands coaxed her to sit up, Aro following suit. They arranged themselves so she could see all three of them.

“Normally, I would say yes. However, not only did you not attack us during your feeding, you _shared._ I know you do not realize how surreal that is. My love, it usually takes an immortal to exit the newborn phase before hunting with another. Decades before they can ever share with someone without instincts taking over and forcing the other off.” Blake furrowed her brow, looking down at him, the information quickly sorting through her new memories.

“Let us examine the situation of the woman. You teased Caius,” He gave her thigh a gentle squeeze to show how he approved of it, “the moment she touched him, however, you lunged. I doubt that was your intention. It is not common for a newborn to already have a firm mate bond going into immortality. I believe that because we already know you and you us, our bond firm, that your instincts for us are overriding those other ones.”

“What my longwinded brother is trying to explain is, he doubts you’ll have to struggle against these new instincts for long,” Marcus cut in. Caius nodded and she turned to him. He smirked, caressing her jaw. She leaned into him, a soft sigh leaving her.

“I have trained many newborns,” he started, and Blake shot her eyes back to his. “Many of my guard I have turned and trained myself.” For some reason, that sent a fiery rage through her and a little growl left her that had Aro and Marcus chuckling while Caius gave her hair a gentle tug in reprimand.

“Every immortal is affected by the change differently. I do suppose since you have had time as a mortal to adjust to our mannerisms and ways we act, that you shall come to adjust faster than others who were not aware prior.” She nodded, it made sense to her. She had been with them for a while and already knew much of how they did things, including the purring.

She doubted she would have taken that as well if she hadn’t experienced it beforehand.

She gazed at the three of them.

“I love you.”

They swarmed her again with purrs.

“I’m so sorry I worried you.” She could feel it deep within her. They had been terrified. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she figured that it was better off to stop questioning it.

“No, my darling. You did nothing wrong. Let us not dwell on the circumstances of this, but rather work with you in your new immortal life.” She caught Marcus’ eye and nodded, giving him a little smirk.

“I can try.”

“Good—”

“May I kiss you _mio cara?”_ She lunged for Caius as soon as the words passed his lips and he smirked against her, even as they hit the floor. Hand on his chest, she felt the fabric rip beneath her hand and made quick work of shredding it, feeling her own clothes break seams around her shoulders.

He chuckled and she pulled back to grin at him, when her attention was drawn down, the smile melting off her face.

His torso was _covered_ in vicious scarring. Crescent shape scars, jagged lines, and the horrific marks along his side. She growled lowly, fingers tracing it. Whatever had caused it was beyond dangerous, she could feel it, and knew, without a doubt, that it nearly killed him.

“What is this?” Her voice was low.

“…A Child of the Moon, what modern legends know as a werewolf, a pack of them had surrounded me, many years ago. My brothers found me in time.” She blinked up at him, finding his eyes haunted.

She moved to cup his jaw, and gently run her fingers along it. “I love you. I am sorry that happened to you.” He cracked a smirk and shook his head, burying his fingers in her hair.

“I love you too, _mio cara._ ” He pulled her flush against him, locking their lips together. She felt the presence of her other two mates shuffle back to give them some space. Her fingers danced across his back, tracing the scars she had not known previously.

With a growl, he ground her hips against his and she threw her head back with a moan. She arched into him, fingers digging into the floor. She felt it crack but couldn’t find it in her to care about it.

She shot back up to reconnect their lips. She felt his fingers touch her back, and then the thin fabric was leaving her in pieces. He yanked it off her arms and dropped it. She smirked against him.

In the next second, she let him roll them over and she was on her back, gazing into his dark eyes. She looked to her other mates.

“Anything you want,” Aro said, black eyes glittering. She looked between the three of them.

“How much stamina do I have now?” By the way Caius immediately started laughing, she could figure it was a lot.

She had no clue how much time had passed, but she was pressed against her mates on the floor, tracing fingers lazily across the scars which she now could see. Marcus was currently pressing gentle kisses down her naked spine as she laid against Aro. Caius was only a half-step away, sketching them.

She gave him a little smile which he instantly returned with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m not tired.”

“That is a feeling that you shall not experience. Especially not from sex.” If she could still blush, she would be doing so. She instead settled on flicking him lightly on the shoulder. He still moved with it and she apologized by giving it a kiss.

His fingers were trailing lightly up and down her sides, and Marcus settled against her, but still kept with peppering her skin with kisses which just made her purrs continue. Her two mates were also purring against her skin.

She nuzzled against Aro’s shoulder. He hummed, tangling one hand in her hair. He pulled her up for another kiss. She went with him and smirked when Marcus grunted, wrapping his arms around her waist. She turned and looked at him.

She put her hands on his hips and toyed with the waistband. He shook his head, hand catching hers.

“Not right now.” Immediately she flinched away from him, but he tightened his grip. “I want the first time that I have you to not be on the high of your first feed. Personal preference. I would like to show you a good time before then.” She looked at him for a long moment.

“that’s all?”

“Yes, I would like to give you a date before I learn you like that.” Aro gave a snort behind her and they both turned to give him an unimpressed look.

“Marcus, you just assisted us in bringing our mate to completion several times. You have done so yourself, first might I add—” That instance passed through her mind and she shivered at remembering the first instance of his touch.

Marcus gave a warning growl to Aro before pressing a soothing kiss to Blake’s neck when she tensed at the sound, who already instinctually prepared to retaliate. She relaxed into him.

“Let him do this his own way,” Caius said, and they all relaxed back into silence, the only sound was the scratches of pen on the paper. Blake was fascinated by it the entire time, the sound so loud and it varied depending on which way it went, and she was gladly taking to analyzing all of the new details she could now experience.

Aro was gladly experiencing it with her, greedily keeping contact on her skin which she lovingly nuzzled into it.

Occasionally, Marcus would do something that would have stolen her human breath. At those moments, Aro would chuckle and tighten his grip when he perceived it through her. Being her first in immortal life, he was positively glowing with smugness at the other two, which Caius merely scoffed at, continuing his drawing.

Blake shook her head at him, but leaned to give him another kiss which quickly turned into a heated kiss, and he was rolling her over onto her back as Marcus backed off a little bit.

Just as Aro slipped between her legs, they all tensed, baring teeth as a vampire started coming closer to them. Blake, especially, was already tense to attack, but Aro and Marcus ran soothing hands over her shoulders.

“It is Heidi, love, she would only come if there was a problem.” She realized she was growling and struggled to stop it. Caius grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. She was tense, still glaring in the direction of the approaching vampire.

These were her _mates_ and she needed to keep them safe and _with her._

Marcus threw a blanket at them and Caius tucked it around her, despite her focus being completely on the door. Marcus stood near the door as Aro put some pants on. He lightly caressed her face.

“ _Piccola,_ those are your instincts, and I assure you, we feel it the same as you. Heidi is no threat to us or our relationship.” She relaxed, and the knowledge that she already knew this flooded into her mind and she felt embarrassed which caused him to click his tongue at her. “Don’t do that. Your instincts were already beyond what an average human should have been. You’re immortal now, they are near impossible to ignore. Especially in your newborn phase.”

She nodded, but that still did not completely feel better upon feeling like she would tear Heidi apart even though she knew she would never hurt the kings.

Or stop feeling like she would stop doing it.

Heidi appeared in the doorway, looking like she would like to be anywhere else, especially as Blake erupted with another growl upon seeing her, before she was pulled into another quick vision.

It was clearly Heidi, even though she looked pretty bad, even disregarding the fact that she was clearly at the end of transition. A woman was nearby, black eyes focused on Heidi as she stroked her hair behind her ear.

When Heidi’s eyes opened, they were full of panic.

Blake blinked upon coming out of the vision, focusing on Caius’ arms around her waist instead of wanting to bite Heidi’s neck off for even _looking_ at Marcus and Aro.

“This better be important.”

“I am sorry to interrupt Masters, but the Cullens called and are on hold. They think Blake’s dead.”

“Why would they…” Aro groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. “Charlie.” Blake’s interest was on Aro, and in the next second, she found herself by his side.

“What about my dad?”

“We had to stage the area where you were held. Your father must have been informed by the military.” She tilted her head at him, and curled against him. He wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, Heidi. Keep them on hold.” She nodded and fled without hesitation to do so.

Aro slowly turned Blake towards him. She looked at him in his eyes.

“Blake…this decision is yours. Charlie is part of the shapeshifter pack, you remember?” She did now, the blurry faces of the pack flooding into her mind. She nodded. “Therefore, he possesses limited knowledge of our kind. We shall tell the Olympic coven the truth either way, but the decision is yours to decide to tell your father. Have him grieve you now, and you possess no immortal memories of him. Or tell him and interact with him and grieve him one day.”

She looked at the other two as they approached, but none of them offered any input.

“That is a big decision.”

“It is,” Marcus immediately agreed.

“You do not have to make it right this second, but I must go inform Carlisle. Would you like to go?” She thought over it before nodding.

“I am not like Bella, I won’t have them worrying over me.” Aro snorted at that but nodded. A half-second later, Caius had one of his shirts in hand and was pulling it slowly over her head.

“I think I can dress myself,” she giggled. He quirked a brow.

“You are more likely to rip it to shreds than to actually place it on your person.” He was proven right a moment later when she messed with the end and it ripped immediately. She playfully pouted at them as Caius wrapped his cloak over her shoulders.

Her hand immediately reached up for her necklace out of habit, only to reach nothing. She cocked her head to the side before remembering the sensation of that bastard ripping it off her neck.

“The crest—” She growled and they all crowded around her, purring.

“Not your doing, _mio cara._ We have it. Though, it again might be best if you do not wear it until you practice your control of your strength.” She nodded, nuzzling into Caius’ shoulder.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’ve already destroyed some things, huh.” She glanced around the room at the corpses and the splintered door and cracked floor and completely demolished furniture.

“We were more preoccupied with you than to even think of preparing a room for a newborn. It is nothing, do not fret.”

“Oh! Can we spar?” She spun around, looking up at Caius with what she thought was an imitation of her human pleading eyes.

He chuckled, leaning in to graze her neck with his teeth.

“I believe we have a coven to talk to first.” He pulled back with a vicious smirk when she tilted her head for further access.

“You’re evil.”

“hmm, never denied it but never to you, my love. I intend to ravish you over, and over, and over,” He ended whispering in her ear which had her already wishing to rip his pants back off.

“Caius, stop preying on her new emotions. Blake, you wish to speak with them?” she nodded and then grabbed Aro’s hand when he offered it. In the halls, they ran into no one, but there was a blend of other unknown scents absolutely attacking Blake, but with her mates constantly touching her, she was able to fight the urge to go attack something.

Coming into a room that was completely empty, she smelled a scent that had her mouth filling with venom and she tightened her grip on Aro’s and Caius’ hands.

Marcus went to the phone and hit two buttons.

“Carlisle,” Aro greeted.

“Aro,” Carlisle’s voice was steady but had an undernote of panic. Blake raised her brows, they were fully on the other side of the large room and yet she could clearly hear him. Aro chuckled lightly, squeezing her hand.

“I am calling about Blake. Alice and Jasper have not answered their phones.”

All three of them turned to look at her. She gave a little nod.

“Hello, Carlisle.” There was silence for a second, before—

“holy shit!” Followed by Esme immediately chastising Emmett. Blake laughed at their antics and looked at Aro.

“Hello, Blake, not that I am not glad to know that you are alright…but I am confused. Why were you turned and why did the Marines inform Charlie that you were dead.” Blake pushed Aro towards the phone, and while he gave a playful glare, he went with it.

“There were unforeseen circumstances that required her to be turned. As for Charlie, he is to remain unaware for the time being.”

“I—of course, Aro.”

Marcus hung up even as someone else was about to speak and Blake immediately was turned by Caius into his arms.

She laughed, instantly kissing his neck.

“Careful there, _mio cara,_ don’t start something you won’t finish.” She bit his lip and growled, dropping her hands to his pants.

“I think you should stop denying me, _vampire boy._ ” Caius’ eyes darkened as she stared into them and knew that she was about to have some fun. So, she spun on her heel, taking off, smirking when she heard him splutter before following after her.


End file.
